Table 1.
Case | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Demographic characteristics | ||||||||
Year | 2002 | 2002 | 2006 | 2008 | 2013 | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 |
Season | Dry | Rainy | Rainy | Rainy | Rainy | Dry | Rainy | Rainy |
Sex | F | M | F | M | M | M | M | M |
Age | 10.5 months | 11 months | 13 months | 37 years | 64 years | 61 years | 58 years | 11.5 years |
Residential locality | Fort-de-France | Le Lamentin | Cap Ferré, Saint-Anne | Le Diamant | ND | Fort-de-France | Quartier Morne Etoile, le Lorrain | Quartier Petit Versailles, Saint-Anne |
Medical history | None | None | None | Substance addiction, bipolar | Intellectual disability | Diogenes syndrome | Schizophrenia | Autism, stunted growth |
Risky behaviour | Playing on soil | Accidental slug ingestion | Unknown | Undercooked snail consumption | Stays in forest several days | Unknown | Pica disorder | Pica disorder |
Clinical presentation | ||||||||
Fever | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Neurological signs and symptoms | Strabismus, cranial nerves VI palsy | Seizures | Hypotonia, tetraplegia | Radiculalgia, cranial nerves VI palsy | Headaches, coma | Headaches, Neck stiffness, cranial nerves VI palsy | Extrapyramidal syndrome, seizures, left hemiparesis, coma | Difficult examination because of autism |
Digestive signs and symptoms | Anorexia | None | None | Nausea, vomiting | None | Loss of appetite | None | Loss of appetite, constipation |
Others | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | Itching |
Laboratory tests | ||||||||
CRP (mg/L) | <5 | <5 | <5 | 11.6 | 74 | <5 | <5 | <5 |
Total WBC count (G/L) D0 | 8.24 | 15.09 | 10.03 | 10.00 | 12.20 | 16.35 | 6.61 | 20.75 |
Eosinophils in blood G/L (%) D0/max value | 0.49 (5)/5.46 (32) | 2.23 (14)/3.23 (26) | 2.11 (21)/3.66 (17) | 0.62 (8)/0.89 (10) | 1.40 (11)/2.49 (21) | 1.77 (11)/2.76 (13) | 1.67 (25)/1.98 (36) | 6.43 (31)/6.43 (31) |
WBC count in CSF 1st LP | 170 | 600 | 0 | 389 | 1040 | 410 | 2280 | 1080 |
Eosinophils in CSF/mm3(%) 1st LP/max value | 59 (35)/355 (48) | 90 (15)/392 (49) | 0 (0)/220 (38) | 0 (0)/59 (62) | 600 (60)/600 (60) | 16 (4)/45 (18) | 1550 (68)/1550 (68) | 691 (64) |
Proteinorachia g/L D0/max value | 1.25/1.25 | 0.52/0.85 | 0.33/0.83 | 1.17/1.17 | 1.10/1.10 | 1.71/1.71 | 1.50/3.70 | 0.63 |
Glycorachia mmol/L D0/min value | 0.1/0.1 | 1.7/1.0 | 3.5/0.2 | 2.3/1.8 | 4.3/4.3 | 1.0/1.0 | 3.3/0.9 | 3.4 |
Intracranial Hypertension | ND | ND | No | Yes, 37 | No | Yes | ND | ND |
Angiostrongylus serodiagnosis | Positivea (D13, D28, D49) | Negativea (D9) | Negativea (D9) | Negativea D24 | Positive D3, D19b | Positivec | Positivec | Positivec |
Positivea (D38) | Positivea (D19) | |||||||
Cross-reactions (sera) | Cysticercosis (1/2048e) | None | None | Echinococcus | Toxocara | Toxocara, Filaria, Strongyloides | Toxocara, Strongyloides | Toxocara, Echinococcus, Strongyloides |
Specific antibodies in CSF | Positivea (D49) | Positivea (D38) | Positivea | Positivea (D24) | ND | ND | Positiveb (D8) | Positiveb |
Parasitological examination of faeces | Negative | Negative | Negative | Negative | Negative | Negative | Negative | Negative |
Brain CT-scan | Subnormal | None | None | ND | Normal | Normal | ND | Normal |
Brain MRI | Ventricular dilatation | Normal | Hydrocephalus, ventricular dilatation, myelitis | Normal | Leukoaraiosis, cortico – subcortical atrophy | Normal | Ventricular dilatation | Abnormal(no precisions) |
Management & outcome | ||||||||
Treatment | Thiabendazole, albendazole | Albendazole | Albendazole, prednisone | Subtractive LP | Albendazole, prednisone | Albendazole + MPS | Albendazole + MPS | Albendazole + MPS |
Subtractive LP | Subtractive LP | Subtractive LP | Subtractive LP | |||||
Hospitalization time (days) | 55 | 15 | 34 | 19 | 49 | 66 + 90 days of physiotherapy | 20 | 16 |
Clinical outcome, sequelae | Strabismus | Recovery | Psychomotor retardation | Strabismus | Recovery | Memory disorders, cranial nerves VI palsy | D20: death | Vision disorders |
Abbreviations: CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; CT-scan, computerised tomography scan; CRP, C-reactive protein; Dx, day x after admission to hospital; LP, lumbar puncture; MPS, methylprednisolone; ND, not determined.
Normal values: CRP: <5 mg/L; protein level in CSF: 0.15–0.40 g/L; glucose level in CSF: 2.8–4.5 mmol/L; intracranial tension: <20.
Serology performed by indirect immunofluorescence in the Medical Center of Gonesse, France.
Serology performed by western-blot analysis in the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University Bangkok, Thailand.
Serology performed by western-blot analysis in the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.