Pleural effusion caused by Trichinella spiralis infection: two case reports

Trichinosis is a worldwide food-borne zoonotic parasitic disease, which is mainly obtained by ingesting undercooked meat containing infected larvae. The purpose of our article is to introduce and discuss two rare cases of pleural effusion caused by Trichinella spiralis.

Here we described two male patients who presented to the respiratory department of our hospital with a massive unilateral pleural effusion, their serum eosinophils were in the normal range, laboratory serological tests revealed that Trichinella spiralis IgG antibody was positive. After the oral administration of antiparasitic drugs, the pleural effusion of two patients was completely absorbed.

Both patients were diagnosed with Trichinosis complicated with pleural effusion, which is very rare in the clinic and easy to be misdiagnosed because of normal eosinophils.