The chronic and severe forms of eosinophilic meningitis

Abstract

Two cases of chronic eosinophilic meningitis (presumed to be due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis) and a third patient with a severe form of this disease are described. Such cases are rare in the published literature. All patients developed their illness in Western Samoa, an area previously thought to be free of the disease. The need to consider eosinophilic meningitis in patients with chronic and severe neurological disease who live in, or have recently come from, endemic areas is emphasised.