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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Invasion of Human Cells by a Bacterial Pathogen
Published on: March 21, 2011
A Rare Case Report of a Human Dirofilaria repens Infection
Christoph Schatz1, Magdalena Füßl1, Yasemin Caf1
1Tyrolpath Obrist Brunhuber GmbH, Hauptplatz 4, 6511 Zams, Austria.
Abstract:
In June 2024, a 41 year-old woman presented to the infectious diseases outpatient clinic with a left inguinal mass progressing in size. The patient had previously been on vacation in Greece. When a tumor was initially suspected, the mass was surgically removed. Staining with Grocott methenamine silver and Alzian blue were inconspicuous, but histopathologic examination revealed a clear histiocytic demarcation, followed by a confirmation of the suspected diagnosis of dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria repens by PCR. Even though still a rare event in Austria, the number of human D. repens cases has been continuously increasing in recent years. This is partly due to the increased spread of the parasite due to climate change and globalization.
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