Meosinophilic meningoencephalitis by Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Abstract

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is an helmint that is the main cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in the world and it is endemic in many parts of it. The objective of this paper is to review the published literatura about this topic about the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, the physiopathology, interesting cases and the particularities of this disorders where the absence of consumption habits of non cooked terrestrial snailsis present. 37 papers about the disease was reviewed in national and international open Access journals from 1957 to October 2019 in Scopus data base. The liberation of toxic substance be cause of the of larvae that lied the central nervous system inflammatory process was confirmed that finally produce eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. The most common clinical fact of the disease are intense headacke, neckrigidity, vomiting and parestesias. In the third part of the cases fever is present. Simptoms and signals are light or moderate but it could arise up to coma. Diagnosis are based on epidemiological factos, clinical presentation and as the positive findings by immunological and PCR diagnostics and the use of reibergrams as auxiliar methods. There are alternative treatment the simptomatic one with talidomide and albendazol as well as combined therapeutics with interleucin-12 (IL-12) assayed in rats up to now.