Angiostrongylus cantonensis Is an Important Cause of Eosinophilic Meningitis in Southern Vietnam

Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Jun 15;64(12):1784-1787. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix118.

Abstract

We utilized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to demonstrate that Angiostrongylus cantonensis was responsible for 67.3% of 55 cases of eosinophilic meningitis from a cohort of 1,690 adult patients with CNS infection at a tertiary hospital in southern Vietnam. Longer duration of illness, depressed consciousness, and peripheral blood eosinophilia were associated with PCR positivity.

Keywords: Angiostrongylus cantonensis; Vietnam.; eosinophilic meningitis.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Angiostrongylus cantonensis / genetics
  • Angiostrongylus cantonensis / isolation & purification*
  • Animals
  • Cohort Studies
  • Eosinophilia / epidemiology
  • Eosinophilia / parasitology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Meningitis / epidemiology
  • Meningitis / parasitology*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Prospective Studies
  • Strongylida Infections / diagnosis
  • Strongylida Infections / epidemiology
  • Strongylida Infections / parasitology*
  • Tertiary Care Centers
  • Vietnam / epidemiology
  • Young Adult