A Painful Neck Swelling to the Emergency Department - An Uncommon Presentation of Human Subcutaneous Dirofilariasis

Abstract

Abstract             Human subcutaneous dirofilariasis is a rare zoonotic filarial infection caused by filarial worms of the genus Dirofilaria. In view of the recent rise in human Dirofilaria repens infections in several regions of the world, it is now considered as an emerging zoonotic infection transmitted to man by zooanthrophilic blood sucking insects. Most of the documented cases of human dirofilariasis recorded in India are ocular infections and very few cases of subcutaneous dirofilariasis have been reported. We hereby present a case of subcutaneous human dirofilariasis of the neck and also emphasize on increased awareness of this entity for clinicians and radiologists in the differential diagnosis of patients with subcutaneous nodules. Keywords: Dirofilariasis, subcutaneous, neck