HUMAN DIROFILARIOSIS IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC – A CASE REPORT

The spread of dirofilariosis, as a newly emerging zoonosis, due to global changes has been documented in several Central European countries. In Slovakia, the first autochthonous case of dirofilariosis was recorded in dogs in 2005. The first case of human subcutaneous dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria repens was diagnosed in a 60-year-old patient from an area of western Slovakia. We report another case of dirofilariosis in a 37-year-old woman living in the same area of south-western Slovakia. The infection manifested as a painful, inflamed nodule on the back of the left hand, containing an adult parasite. Morphological analysis aroused suspicion of the presence of a filarial worm belonging to the genus Dirofilaria. Subsequent PCR analysis of the DNA identified the parasite as Dirofilaria repens. After removal of the parasite, the subcutaneous nodule completely resolved and the patient was successfully cured.