A case of eosinophilic meningitis due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Abstract

We report a case of eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis. This patient, a 50-year-old male, had been eating uncooked slugs for 40 years. His chief complaints on admission were headache, fever and general fatigue. Neurological examination and CT findings were normal, but the CSF contained increased cells, most of which were eosinophilic cells. The presence of eosinophilic cells in the CSF is by itself abnormal. We therefore suspected eosinophilic meningitis and performed immunological tests. Since the gelatin particle method and immunological antigen antibody reaction were positive. We diagnosed the patient as having eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis. There are only 27 reported cases of this disease in Japan, and most of them have been reported in Okinawa-Prefecture.