Gnatostomiasis ocular humana. Casos registrados en todo el mundo entre 19 y 20

SUMMARY Human Gnathostomiasis is caused by larval forms of some species of nematodes of the genus Gnathostoma, mainly G. spinigerum, G. hispidum and G. doloresi in Asia and by Gnathostoma binucleatum in Mexico and Ecuador, in Latin America. The main symptoms are related to a subcutaneous larva migrans, producing a migratory inflammation (edema), pain, itch, and erythema, 2 or 3 weeks after the ingestion of the larvae. After that, the larvae can migrate to other organs: liver, lungs, urinary ducts, or eyes. The patients rarely show high temperature or strong eosinophilia. Gnathostomiasis is an endemic illness from Asia, where it is well known. In America it was reported in 1970 by Pelaez and Perez-Reyes, from the Parasitology Laboratory of the Instituto Politecnico Nacional de Mexico. Up to now, more than 8000 cases have been reported in Mexico, most of them of the cutaneous type. In this paper we also record the cases reported world wide of ocular Gnathostomiasis from 1937 to 2005.