[Larval toxocariasis--a severe course of the manifest infection]

The case of a 17 year old patient with severe course of toxocariasis is reported. Over a period of 6 months the patient developed signs of serious systemic condition with fever, respiratory infections, diarrhea, urticaria, weight loss, and muscular atrophies. The most remarkable organ derangements involved bilateral exudative neuroretinitis, severe degree of peripheral motoneuron derangement, and grave kidney damage with developing polyuria, hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis and therapeutically hardly tractable hypertension. The most important laboratory findings were high erythrocyte sedimentation, absolute and relative eosinophilia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Serological examination exhibited weak larval toxocariasis positivity. Treatment with Mintezol and subsequent administration of prednisone resulted in complete restoration of the clinical state, including organ and laboratory manifestations. The reported case documents the occurrence of larval toxocariasis in our population as well as the possibility of a very severe course of this parasitic infection in man. The therapeutic effect is remarkable since literary data have so far reported mostly unsatisfactory results of toxocariasis treatment.