Oral migration of Dirofilaria repens after creeping dermatitis

Abstract

We report an autochthonous case of oral dirofilariasis in a 46-year-old female patient exposed in South-Eastern France. The patient first presented eyelid creeping dermatitis of one-week duration, then a sub-mucosal nodule appeared in the cheek. The entire nodule was removed surgically. Histologically, the nodule appeared as inflammatory tissue in which a worm was seen. The molecular analysis, based on cox1 and 12S sequences, identified Dirofilaria repens. Ivermectin treatment was given prior to diagnosis, while taking into consideration the most common causes of creeping dermatitis, but treatment was ineffective. The oral form of dirofilariasis is uncommon and could lead to diagnostic wandering.