Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2021 Apr 27;21(1):189.
doi: 10.1186/s12886-021-01956-w.

Orbital migration of schistosome eggs: a case report

Nouhoum Guirou  1 , Serge Resnikoff  2 , Abba Kaka Hadja Yakoura  3 , Michel Gouda  4 , Seydou Bakayoko  4 , Abdoulaye Napo  4 , Rodrigue Romulad Elien  4 , Robert Della Rocca  5 , Fatoumata Sylla  4 , Lamine Traoré  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Orbital migration of schistosome eggs: a case report

Nouhoum Guirou et al. BMC Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Background: Ocular damage, including damage to the conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, eyelids, and orbit, caused by Schistosoma haematobium is sporadic. We report a clinical case of orbital migration of schistosome eggs.

Case presentation: A 14-year-old boy of Malian nationality presented with a painless swelling of the upper right eyelid, which had been gradually increasing for approximately 3 months. Visual acuity was logMAR 0.10 and 0.00 in the right and left eye, respectively. External examination revealed a right palpebral mass, pushing the globe slightly downward and inward. Computed tomography revealed a mass of the right lacrimal gland. Total excision of the mass was performed by transpalpebral orbitotomy. Pathological examination revealed an inflammatory granulomatous infiltrate of the lacrimal gland consisting of lymphocytes, eosinophils, giant cells, epithelioid cell, histiocytes and calcified Schistosoma eggs with terminal spine. Urine examination revealed eggs of S. haematobium. Praziquantel 40 mg/kg was administered to the patient. The hematuria stopped after 1 week. After 3 years of follow-up, no recurrence was noted.

Conclusions: The bilharzian granuloma of the lacrimal gland is an ectopic site of the parasite. In this case, the granuloma was cured by surgical excision followed by a course of Praziquantel.

Keywords: Case report; Lacrimal gland; Neglected tropical disease; Orbit; Schistosoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a orbito-palpebral mass, pushing the eyeball slightly downward and inward, with grade 1 exophthalmos (patient under GA). b Computed tomography: Right lacrimal gland mass measuring 29 × 13 mm with low tissue density and heterogeneity that was enhanced by iodine contrast
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Lacrimal gland granuloma with lymphocytes, eosinophil, giant cells, epithelioid cell, histiocytes and calcified schistosome eggs (arrows) with terminal spine (magnification 100–200-300 X)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
No recurrence after 3 years follows up
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hotez PJ, Kamath A. Neglected tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: review of their prevalence, distribution, and disease burden. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2009;3(8):e412. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000412. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jannin J, Solano P, Quick I, Debre P. The francophone network on neglected tropical diseases. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017;11(8):e0005738. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005738. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Imai K, Koibuchi T, Kumagai T, Maeda T, Osada Y, Ohta N, et al. Cerebral schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma haematobium confirmed by PCR analysis of brain specimen▿. J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49(10):3703–3706. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01073-11. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chassot CA, Christiano CG, Barros MS, Rodrigues CJ, Corbett CEP. Colon polyps in Schistosoma haematobium schistosomiasis. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1998;93(suppl 1):289–291. doi: 10.1590/S0074-02761998000700056. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Poderoso WLS, de Santana WB, da Costa EF, Cipolotti R, Fakhouri R. Ectopic schistosomiasis: description of five cases involving skin, one ovarian case and one adrenal case. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2008;41(6):668–671. doi: 10.1590/S0037-86822008000600021. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources