Recently recognized cases of ophthalmofilariasis in Hungary

To report four cases of zoonotic ophthalmodirofilariasis infection caused by Dirofilaria repens in Hungary.

Four cases of ophthalmofilariasis have been treated at our department during the last 14 months. A subconjunctival moving worm was observed by slit lamp biomicroscopy in two cases. In one of these a living filaria was surgically removed, but the other disappeared. Red eye and migrating edema were the presenting signs in two cases. A biopsy taken from the subcutaneous masses disclosed D repens.

Histopathologic or parasitologic examination identified a female D repens in every case. Laboratory alterations were not found. Symptoms subsided after treatment.

The clinical presentation of filariasis is not always straightforward, and a high index of suspicion is necessary in cases presenting with orbital or periorbital inflammation. During the past 10 years the identification of locally acquired infections by D repens has increased in Hungary.