Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection: A Cause of Fever of Unknown Origin in Pediatric Patients

Catherine E Foster; Erin G Nicholson; Angela C Chun; Maya Gharfeh; Sara Anvari; Filiz O Seeborg; Michael A Lopez; Judith R Campbell; Lucila Marquez; Jeffrey R Starke; Debra L Palazzi

doi:10.1093/cid/ciw606

Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection: A Cause of Fever of Unknown Origin in Pediatric Patients

Clin Infect Dis. 2016 Dec 1;63(11):1475-1478. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciw606. Epub 2016 Aug 30.

Affiliations

¹ Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital.
² Baylor College of Medicine.
³ Section of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology.
⁴ Section of Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston.

PMID: 27578821
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciw606

Abstract

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) in children is frequently caused by infectious diseases. Angiostrongylus cantonensis, while a primary cause of eosinophilic meningitis, is rarely a cause of FUO. We present 2 pediatric cases of FUO caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis acquired in Houston, Texas, outside its usual geographic distribution.

Keywords: Angiostrongylus cantonensis; FUO; eosinophilic meningitis; pediatric.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Angiostrongylus cantonensis / isolation & purification*
Animals
Eosinophilia / parasitology
Female
Fever of Unknown Origin / etiology*
Fever of Unknown Origin / parasitology
Humans
Infant
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Meningitis / parasitology
Methylprednisolone / administration & dosage
Methylprednisolone / therapeutic use
Prednisone / administration & dosage
Prednisone / therapeutic use
Proteus mirabilis / isolation & purification
Strongylida Infections / complications
Strongylida Infections / diagnostic imaging
Strongylida Infections / epidemiology*
Strongylida Infections / parasitology
Texas / epidemiology

Substances

Prednisone
Methylprednisolone