Case of Ocular Thelaziasis reported in NEJM

Dr Zijing Huang and Dr Weiqi Chen at Joint Shantou International Eye Center, Shantou, China have reported a case of Ocular Thelaziasis that has been published in the New England journal of Medicine.

Thelaziasis is an Arthropod-born disease of the eye and adnexa caused by Thelazia callipaeda which is is often under-reported and not been given its due clinical importance.It is a nematode parasite transmitted by drosophilid flies to carnivores and humans. Its distribution is mainly confined to South Asian countries and Russia, and therefore it is commonly known as Oriental Eye worm.

Thelazia callipaeda was first described in 1910 from a Chinese dog and the first case of human Thelaziasis was reported in 1917, wherein four worms were extracted from the eye of Coolie in Peiping, China. Later on a case of Human Thelaziasis (HT) was reported in India from Yeroaud, Salem District in 1948.

Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae) infects a range of definitive hosts, such as dogs, cats, foxes, rabbits, and humans; this spiruroid nematode is seen in the conjunctival sac, lacrimal gland, and lacrimal duct of these mammals.Ocular features of human Thelaziasis include excess lacrimation, irritation, conjunctivitis, keratitis, corneal ulcers, and ectropian.