Spinal sensory radiculopathy due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection

Abstract

The most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis is the rat lung worm Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a parasite which is endemic in the South East Asian and Pacific regions. While the typical clinical presentation is that of meningitis associated with an eosinophilic pleocytosis, a 45 year old man presented with a radiculomyelopathy, associated with an eosinophilic pleocytosis and cerebrospinal fluid antibodies to A. cantonensis but without signs or symptoms of meningitis. A worm was demonstrated on both computed tomographic myelography and magnetic resonance imaging scan of the spinal cord.