Publications

[eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in a case of rheumatoid arthritis].	a 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to gradually developing consciousness disturbance. he had an 11-year history of sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis (stage iii) maintained by daily administration of 10 mg of prednisolone and 300 mg of actarit. on admission, he showed meningeal irritation and a marked increase in eosinophils in his cerebrospinal fulid (csf) (457/microliter), while eosinophils in his peripheral blood were not increased (0/microliter). shortly after admission he fe ...	1998	11155592
a case of eosinophilic meningitis.	a case of eosinophilic meningitis is reported, a condition not previously reported from sri lanka. we propose angiostrongylus cantonesis to be the most likely causative agent in this patient.	1999	10895269
[a clinical research for eosinophilic meningoencephalitis caused by angiostrongyliasis].	to improve the awareness of angiostrongyliasis.	1999	11798667
improvements in the infectivity of cryopreserved third-stage larvae of angiostrongylus cantonensis using a programmable freezer.	although there have been some advances in the cryopreservation of angiostrongylus cantonensis, the degrees of viability and infectivity of the cryopreserved developmental stages have not been high. a two-step freezing protocol using a programmable freezer was determined to be effective in improving the infectivity of the cryopreserved third-stage larvae of this parasite. after washing steps and suspension in 10% (v/v) dimethylsulfoxide and equilibrium at room temperature the larvae were placed i ...	1999	9934966
[severe forms of eosinophilic meningitis in infants of mayotte. apropos of 3 cases].	eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis is widespread in southeast asia and the pacific islands. adults develop transient meningitis with a benign course, whilst severe or fatal disease may occur in pediatric patients.	1999	10472441
parasitic meningitis.		1999	10397038
eosinophilic meningitis. an unusual cause of headache.	human parasitic infections are uncommon outside the tropical north but common in animals throughout australia. the rat lung worm, angiostrongylus cantonensis, can invade the human brain to cause a chronic meningitis with prolonged headache. this condition can be diagnosed by finding a high eosinophil count in cerebrospinal fluid (cfs), the lumbar puncture also provides symptomatic relief. the outcome is usually benign but death has been reported.	1999	10431425
schistosoma japonicum in the black rat, rattus rattus mindanensis, from leyte, philippines in relation to oncomelania snail colonies with reference to other endoparasites.	this study examined the prevalence of schistosoma japonicum infections in field rats, rattus rattus mindanensis, according to different trapping locations. between october 1995 and january 1996, traps were set in the municipality of palo, leyte, philippines to determine the correlation of rats infected with schistosomiasis to the proximity of the intermediate snail host, oncomelania hupensis quadrasi, colonies. of the 22 rats that were caught within a snail colony, 21 (95.5%) were positive for s ...	1999	10774707
morbidity and susceptibility of the mouse to angiostrongylus cantonensis are not related to the h-2 complex.		1999	10431730
angiostrongylus cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis.	in the past 50 years, angiostrongylus cantonensis, the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis, has spread from southeast asia to the south pacific, africa, india, the caribbean, and recently, to australia and north america, mainly carried by cargo ship rats. humans are accidental, "dead-end" hosts infected by eating larvae from snails, slugs, or contaminated, uncooked vegetables. these larvae migrate to the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots, causing eosinophilia in both spinal fluid and ...	1999	10460929
jejunal perforation caused by abdominal angiostrongyliasis.	the authors describe a case of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in an adult patient presenting acute abdominal pain caused by jejunal perforation. the case was unusual, as this affliction habitually involves the terminal ileum, appendix, cecum or ascending colon. the disease is caused by the nematode angiostrongylus costaricensis, whose definitive hosts are forest rodents while snails and slugs are its intermediate hosts. infection in humans is accidental and occurs via the ingestion of snail or slu ...	1999	10602548
horizontal conjugate gaze palsy in eosinophilic meningitis.	two cases of eosinophilic meningitis who presented with headache and strabismus are reported. pertinent physical examination revealed unilateral horizontal conjugate gaze palsy with absence of doll's eye maneuver and hemiparesis. the etiologic agent of eosinophilic meningitis is presumed to be angiostrongylus cantonensis and the infected location that produce horizontal conjugate gaze palsy was a pontine lesion.	1999	10774676
successful management of pain syndrome due to angiostrongylus cantonensis by implantable spinal cord stimulator.		1999	10868540
angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in grey-headed fruit bats (pteropus poliocephalus).		1999	10451735
a fatal case of angiostrongyliasis in an 11-month-old infant.	an 11-month-old boy developed flaccid quadriparesis after two months in fiji, and was transferred to australia, where a diagnosis of postinfectious myelitis was made. despite peripheral blood eosinophilia, eosinophils were not detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, and an infective aetiology was not identified. the patient died of progressive bulbar dysfunction. at autopsy, numerous nematodes, identified as angiostrongylus cantonensis, were seen in vessels of the lungs, brain and spinal cord, asso ...	1999	10397046
[angiostrongyliasis].		1999	10201262
mr findings of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis attributed to angiostrongylus cantonensis.	eosinophilic meningoencephalitis is prevalent and widely distributed in thailand, especially in the northeastern and central parts of the country. angiostrongylus cantonensis is one of the causative agents of fatal eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. the nematodes produce extensive tissue damage by moving through the brain and inducing an inflammatory reaction. we report the clinical features and the findings revealed by mr imaging and mr spectroscopy in six patients with eosinophilic meningoencep ...	2000	10871020
scid mice show a similar susceptibility to angiostrongylus cantonensis as do wild-type mice of the c.b-17 strain.	c.b-17-scid/scid (scid) mice infected with angiostrongylus cantonensis yielded a high percentage of worm recovery and did not show any body weight loss until day 24 postinfection. unexpectedly, c.b-17-+/+(+/+) mice also produced a similar worm burden containing well-developed worms. this is probably attributable to the observation that +/+ mice failed to induce eosinophilia in cerebrospinal fluid (csf) despite their production of antigen-specific iga and iggi; +/+ mice have defective bone-marrow ...	2000	10935903
development of brain injury in mice by angiostrongylus cantonensis infection is associated with the induction of transcription factor nf-kappab, nuclear protooncogenes, and protein tyrosine phosphorylation.	eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis is endemic to the pacific area of asia, especially taiwan, thailand, and japan. although eosinophilia is an important clinical manifestation of a. cantonensis infection, the role of eosinophils in the progress of the infection remains to be elucidated. in this experiment, we showed that a. cantonensis-caused eosinoplia and inflammation might lead to the induction of nf-kappab and protooncogene expression via act ...	2000	10964648
[report of 8 cases of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis].		2000	12567692
[epidemiological investigation on an outbreak of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis in wenzhou].	to find out the cause and transmission factors of an outbreak of eosinophilic meningoradiculitis in wenzhou city during october to november in 1997.	2000	12567703
[eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in villa clara (cuba). a study of 17 patients].	infection by angiostrongylus cantonensis is caused by eating snails and slugs or contaminated vegetables, and is the commonest cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis throughout the world.	2000	11027091
neuro-angiostrongyliasis: unresolved issues.	angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, probably evolved with its hosts, members of the genus rattus and closely related species, in south-east asia. since its first discovery in rats in china and in a case of human infection in taiwan, the parasite has been found to infect humans and other mammals across a wide and ever-increasing territory, which now encompasses much of south-east asia, melanesia, polynesia and eastern australia. it has also established a foothold in africa, india, the ...	2000	11113256
immunodiagnosis of human eosinophilic meningitis using an antigen of angiostrongylus cantonensis l5 with molecular weight 204 kd.	an antigen from angiostrongylus cantonensis fifth-stage larvae was purified by immuno-affinity chromatography with a specific monoclonal antibody. the purified antigen showed only a single band with a molecular weight of 204 kd in sds-page, and no cross-reactivity to antibodies induced by several other species of helminths were observed in elisa. when the purified antigen was used to examine serum and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) specimens by elisa, the antibody levels in patients with eosinophilic ...	2000	10708002
angiostrongyliasis: analysis of antigens of angiostrongylus costaricensis adult worms versus igg from infected patients with angiostrongylus cantonensis.	the possibility of cross-reactivity was previously investigated by indirect elisa with sera from angiostrongylus cantonensis infections, normal controls and a. costaricensis antigen. 5 microg/ml of crude antigen from both sexes of each species reacted with diluted serum samples (1:800) of each of 20 cases of angiostrongyliasis and normal controls, and further with anti-human igg conjugate at 1:1,000. the mean absorbance values were evaluated as follows; normal controls showed a value of 0.033 us ...	2000	11414459
[eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in cuba].		2001	11424061
[occurrence of achatina fulica in the vale do paraíba, rio de janeiro state, brazil].	the first occurrence of the achatina fulica, an intermediate host of angiostrongylus cantonensis, the etiological agent of meningoencephalic angiostrongiliasis, is reported in resende municipality, brazil. in the five visited localities, snails were found living freely, and the larvae of this parasite was not seen in any of them. the finding of a. fulica in the area may be related to its commercialization as a food item and embodies the possibility of new focus.	2001	11799473
current status of human parasitic infections in taiwan.	the eradication of the 2 mosquito-borne parasitic diseases, malaria and lymphatic filariasis, is one of the greatest achievements of the parasite control campaigns in taiwan. most of the soil-transmitted nematode infections, with the exception of pinworm infection, are currently well controlled and limited to some aboriginal areas. food-borne parasitic zoonosis such as infections with angiostrongylus cantonensis, clonorchis sinensis, and taenia saginata asiatica are not rare, but the former is s ...	2001	11605804
an outbreak of meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis in kaohsiung.	eight thai laborers developed meningitis after eating raw snails (ampullarium canaliculatus) during the period from september 27 to october 6, 1998. the diagnosis of angiostrongylus cantonensis infection was established in all patients by serologic studies of serum and cerebral spinal fluid (csf). clinical manifestations included meningitis, radiculitis and cranial nerve palsy. symptoms included fever, headache, orbital pain, gastrointestinal upset, hyperesthesia, muscle weakness, skin rash and ...	2001	11321128
the detection and occurrence of circulating antigens of trichinella spiralis during worm development.	four enzyme-based immunoassays were compared in detecting circulating antigens (ca) of trichinella spiralis, i.e. microfluorescence, dissociated enhanced lanthanide fluoroimmunoassay (delfia), enhanced chemiluminescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). parameters which could affect the sensitivity and specificity of the assays were evaluated. different combinations of polyclonal antibody (pa) and five monoclonal antibodies (mabs) against the excretory/secretory antigens of the nema ...	2001	11206114
fever, refusal to walk and eosinophilia in a ten-month-old samoan boy.		2001	11224853
immunoblot evaluation of the specificity of the 29-kda antigen from young adult female worms angiostrongylus cantonensis for immunodiagnosis of human angiostrongyliasis.	the antigenic components of angiostrongylus cantonensis young adult female worm somatic extract (fse) were revealed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds-page) and immunoblotting. the sera tested were from patients with proven angiostrongyliasis, other parasitic diseases, and healthy adults. both the sera and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) were tested from patients with clinical angiostrongyliasis. the csf from patients with other neurological diseases were also included. ...	2001	12009076
the spread of angiostrongylus cantonensis in australia.	until the recent establishment of angiostrongylus cantonensis in north america, australia was the only developed region endemic for this parasite. almost 50 years ago the life cycle was elucidated there, in the city of brisbane, and the first human infections probably occurred in 1959. from the 1970s, increasing numbers of autochthonous infections have been reported along the central east coast of the continent (southeast queensland and northern new south wales), involving humans, rats, dogs, ho ...	2001	12041575
third report of ocular parastrongyliasis (angiostrongyliasis) from sri lanka.	a further case of ocular parastrongyliasis has been seen in a patient from sri lanka. as it is a juvenile female worm it could not be identified to the species, but it is probably parastrongylus (= angiostrongylus) cantonensis which is the commonly reported species in the country. this is the third authentic case of such an infection in sri lanka in recent years.	2001	11921545
the growth effects of gamma-ray irradiation on third-stage larvae of angiostrongylus cantonensis in snail.	in order to clarify growth effects of gamma-ray irradiation on the third-stage larvae of angiostrongylus cantonensis, snails naturally infected with larvae of a. cantonensis were irradiated with a cobalt-60 source, and the total dosage of exposure was 0.1 kgy. third-stage larvae were collected from each group of irradiated and non-irradiated snails and then administered to rats. a significant reduction was observed in the number of recovery worms from rats sacrificed at 45 days after infection c ...	2001	11486643
eosinophilic meningitis due to angiostrongylus cantonensis in a returned traveler: case report and review of the literature.	angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the principal cause of eosinophilic meningitis worldwide, and the increase in world travel and shipborne dispersal of infected rat vectors has extended this parasite to regions outside of its traditional geographic boundaries. we report a case of eosinophilic meningitis due to a. cantonensis in a patient who recently returned from a trip in the pacific.	2001	11568860
eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis: report of 17 cases.	to describe two outbreaks of angiostrongylus cantonensis infection that occurred in kaohsiung, taiwan, during 1998 and 1999, and to characterize the source of the outbreaks and the clinical manifestations of the disease.	2001	11498063
eosinophils in the cerebrospinal fluid of mice infected with angiostrongylus cantonensis are resistant to apoptosis.	interleukin-5 (il-5) transgenic mice were used to assess the immunological features of csf eosinophils from mice infected with angiostrongylus cantonensis. csf eosinophils were hypodense by day 14 post infection (p.i.). csf eosinophils survived longer in vitro than peritoneal eosinophils collected from cadmium sulphate (cdso(4)) -treated normal il-5 transgenic mice. apoptosis was measured by annexin v binding and the presence of a distinct laddering pattern of dna fragmentation on agarose electr ...	2001	11730792
human infections with angiostrongylus cantonensis.	angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasite that causes eosinophilic meningitis and has been reported to be present on most pacific islands. rats are the principal host and several species of land snails the intermediate host. important paratenic hosts are fresh water shrimp and fish. modes of transmission include ingestion by man of raw fish, snails and fresh leafy vegetables contaminated by snail slime trails containing larvae. the parasitic worms are neurotropic in man, and the diagnosis should ...	2001	12017820
purification of a specific immunodiagnostic parastrongylus cantonensis antigen by electroelution from sds-polyacrylamide gels.	a 31-kda glycoprotein antigen was purified by electrophoresing the crude extract of parastrongylus cantonensis adult worms in a 12% sds-polyacrylamide gel, identifying the 31-kda component with prestained molecular weight standards, cutting the desired gel strip, and then isolating it by electroelution. antigen fraction of 31 kda was re-electrophoresed, transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane and found to be reactive with only the sera from patients with parastrongyliasis. no reactive band was ...	2001	11556581
[three lethal cases of angiostrongylus cantonensis infected children].	to offer approaches to diagnosis and treatment of angiostrongylus cantonensis infection on the basis of analyzing three lethal cases of the disease.	2001	12572053
[meningoencephalitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis: report of 1 case].	one rare case of meningoencephalitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis is reported. the development of the disease, clinical features, accessory examinations, and the subsequent treatment were described and analyzed briefly.	2002	12480601
ocular angiostrongyliasis without meningitis symptoms in okinawa, japan.	a 62-year-old female farmer presented with retinal detachment in her left eye, and an angiostrongylus cantonensis worm was recovered by vitreous surgery. the case did not show typical clinical symptoms indicating meningitis, although the patient complained of a mild headache, a low-grade fever, and slight ataxia. the symptoms were treated as influenza before the onset of the retinal detachment. the present case is the first confirmed of ocular angiostrongyliasis in japan.	2002	12053973
enzootic angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats and snails after an outbreak of human eosinophilic meningitis, jamaica.	after an outbreak in 2000 of eosinophilic meningitis in tourists to jamaica, we looked for angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats and snails on the island. overall, 22% (24/109) of rats harbored adult worms, and 8% (4/48) of snails harbored a. cantonensis larvae. this report is the first of enzootic a. cantonensis infection in jamaica, providing evidence that this parasite is likely to cause human cases of eosinophilic meningitis.	2002	11927033
[eosinophilic meningitis on returning from tahiti].		2002	12212514
incidence of parastrongylus cantonensis larvae in different fresh water snails in dakahlia governorate.	samples of snails were collected from different water bodies in dakahlia governorate to assess a survey on the naturally infected snails and their infection rate with the parastrongylus cantonensis larvae. the nematode p. cantonensis is associated in the etiology of eosinophilic meningeoencephalitis of man. lanistes carinatus showed the highest rate of infection with 19-400 larvae per snail. biomphalaria alexandrina, b. glabrata, bulinus truncatus, lymnaea cailliaudi (natalensis), l. alexandrina ...	2002	12214935
clinical manifestations and outcome of patients with severe eosinophilic meningoencephalitis presumably caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	the clinical manifestations and outcome of patients with severe eosinophilic meningoencephalitis has never been reported. we reported 11 comatose patients with eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. most of them presented with subacute to chronic headache and fever, followed by acute coma. cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities were similar to alert patients with eosinophilic meningitis. none of them had received antihelmintic drug and seven patients were treated with corticosteroids. ten patients died an ...	2002	12236418
neuro-angiostrongylosis in wild black and grey-headed flying foxes (pteropus spp).	to identify nematodes seen in histological sections of brains of flying foxes (fruit bats) and describe the associated clinical disease and pathology.	2002	12398319
a clinical study of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis caused by angiostrongyliasis.	to improve the clinician's awareness of angiostrongyliasis.	2002	12411101
angiostrongylus cantonensis infection mimicking a spinal cord tumor.	angiostrongylus cantonensis is the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis and meningoencephalitis. almost all cases are self-limiting and are diagnosed by cerebrospinal fluid eosinophilia and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; pathology reports are restricted to postmortem samples from lethal cases. we report on what we believe is the first case of a. cantonensis infection diagnosed by biopsy in a living patient. the spinal cord was biopsied because of the unusual clinical presentation of ...	2002	12112054
eosinophilic meningitis due to angiostrongylus cantonensis.		2002	12203184
[ocular angiostrongylus cantonensis in a female vietnamese patient: case report].	angiostrongylus cantonensis is largely responsible for human cases of eosinophilic meningitis and meningoencephalitis in the south pacific and south-east asia regions. ocular manifestations of angiostrongylus are relatively rare. we report intraocular infestation and successful removal of a worm from the anterior chamber of a patient in vietnam.	2002	12548476
specific igg antibody subclasses to angiostrongylus cantonensis in patients with angiostrongyliasis.	total igg, igg1, igg2, igg3, igg4, iga and igm specific antibodies against angiostrongylus cantonensis somatic antigen were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) in sera from proven human angiostrongyliasis (pa) cases, clinically suspected angiostrongyliasis cases with eosinophilic meningitis (em) and healthy control (hc). the specific iga antibody in each of the patient groups was significantly higher than those of the hc group (p < 0.05). the mean elisa value of the specific ...	2002	12744624
parastrongylus (=angiostrongylus) cantonensis now endemic in louisiana wildlife.	parastrongylus (=angiostrongylus) cantonensis, a lung worm of rats, was first reported in the united states in 1987, with a probable introduction by infected rats from ships docking in new orleans, louisiana, during the mid-1980s. since then, it has been reported in nonhuman primates and a boy from new orleans, and in a horse from picayune, mississippi, a distance of 87 km from new orleans. parastrongylus cantonensis infection is herein reported in a lemur (varencia variegata rubra) from new ibe ...	2002	12435151
an outbreak of eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis in travelers returning from the caribbean.	outbreaks of eosinophilic meningitis caused by the roundworm angiostrongylus cantonensis are rarely reported, even in regions of endemic infection such as southeast asia and the pacific basin. we report an outbreak of a. cantonensis meningitis among travelers returning from the caribbean.	2002	11870244
travel warning: eosinophilic meningitis caused by rat lungworm.		2002	12000253
[epidemiological study on group infection of angiostrongylus cantonensis in changle city].	to make etiological and epidemiological investigation on the infection of angiostrongylus cantonensis in 8 pupils in changle city.	2003	12884626
eosinophilic meningitis.	eosinophilic meningitis is a rare clinical entity that can be useful in narrowing the differential diagnosis of central nervous system disease. it is defined by the presence of 10 or more eosinophils/microl in the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) or a csf eosinophilia of at least 10%. the most common cause is invasion of the central nervous system by helminthic parasites, particularly angiostrongylus cantonensis, but other infections as well as noninfectious conditions may also be associated. this revi ...	2003	12637136
[igg subclasses intrathecal synthesis patterns in eosinophilic meningoencephalitis due to angiostrongylus cantonensis].	there is a growing interest to know the characteristics of meningoencephalitis due to angiostrongylus cantonensis because of it is an emergent disease.	2003	12652409
evaluation of human igg subclass antibodies in the serodiagnosis of angiostrongyliasis.	immunoglobulin g subclass antibody (igg1, igg2, igg3, and igg4) responses to the rat lungworm, angiostrongylus cantonensis, were analyzed using the immunoblotting technique in an attempt to further improve the sensitivity and specificity for the serodiagnosis of human angiostrongyliasis. serum samples from patients with proven angiostrongyliasis and from clinically suspected cases of angiostrongyliasis with eosinophilic meningitis were tested. sera from patients with other parasitic illnesses an ...	2003	12658452
combined treatment with interleukin-12 and mebendazole lessens the severity of experimental eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis in icr mice.	angiostrongylus cantonensis is the major cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis cases in taiwan. mice were orally infected with 35 infective larvae. one group of mice were given a single dose of mebendazole (20 mg/kg of body weight) per os at various times and examined at 14 days postinfection (dpi) for worm recovery rate and pathological studies. a 94 to 97% reduction in worm recovery was observed when medication was given at 4 to 5 dpi. sections of the brains revealed that untreated infecte ...	2003	12819081
eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis associated with eating raw snails: correlation of brain magnetic resonance imaging scans with clinical findings.	angiostrongylus cantonensis is the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis worldwide. human infection occurs after ingestion of the worms in raw snails or fish that serve as intermediate hosts. two outbreaks of central nervous system infection with a. cantonensis occurred in kaoshiung, taiwan, during 1998 and 1999 among thai laborers who ate raw snails. a detailed clinical studies of 17 of these patients was conducted, including study of 13 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging ...	2003	12685630
[presence of angiostrongylus cantonensis in haiti].	in the west indies angiostrongylus cantonensis was found first in cuba in 1973, then in puerto rico (1986), in the dominican republic (1992) and recently in jamaica (2002). concurrently, the presence of the parasite was detected in the bahamas and in new orleans (la, usa) in 1990. to assess the occurrence of a. cantonensis in haiti, we investigated a number of rats in port-au-prince in 2002. preliminary results among 23 captured and examined rats show that 75% (three of four) rattus norvegicus a ...	2003	12753637
headache and confusion: the dangers of a raw snail supper.		2003	12788574
eosinophilic meningitis.	eosinophilic meningitis (em) is a distinct clinical entity that may have infectious and noninfectious causes. worldwide, infection with the helminthic parasite, angiostrongylus cantonensis, is the most common infectious etiology. historically, this infection has been acquired through ingestion of competent intermediate and paratenic (carrier) hosts or contaminated food in southeast asia and the pacific islands. a recent outbreak of a. cantonensis-associated em among us travelers to jamaica and s ...	2003	12866984
blinded multi-laboratory evaluation of an in-house dot-blot elisa kit for diagnosis of human parastrongyliasis.	an in-house membrane dot-blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, for the detection of specific antibody to a 31 kda protein of parastrongylus cantonensis was evaluated in a blinded multi-laboratory study. the kit was provided to technologists, who were trained in its use, from nine regional laboratories of thailand. with an identical set of 20 coded serum samples and reference positive and negative controls, the kit was found to have a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and a diagnostic specific ...	2003	12971507
intravitreal angiostrongyliasis: report of 2 cases.	two male patients presented with unilateral blurred vision. a small motile worm was found in the vitreous cavity in both cases. in one case, another dead, disintegrated worm was noted in the inferior portion of the vitreous cavity. on each eye, vitreous surgery was performed and the worm was removed by an aspirator. both worms were identified as angiostrongylus cantonensis. since both patients had no signs of meningitis, lumbar puncture was not done. long-term follow-up confirmed the benefit and ...	2003	14650712
first report of human angiostrongyliasis acquired in sydney.		2003	14558868
antemortem diagnosis of canine neural angiostrongylosis using elisa.	a 5-month-old female kelpie developed paraparesis, hind limb ataxia and spinal hyperaesthesia 4 days after ovariohysterectomy. neurological examination demonstrated upper motor neuron signs in the pelvic limbs with lower motor neuron signs in the tail. cerebrospinal fluid analysis demonstrated an increased protein concentration and marked eosinophilic pleocytosis. the dog was known to have eaten rats, snails and slugs. a tentative diagnosis of neural angiostrongylosis was made and later confirme ...	2003	15080423
potentiality of achatina fulica bowdich, 1822 (mollusca: gastropoda) as intermediate host of the angiostrongylus costaricensis morera & céspedes 1971.	samples of achatina fulica were experimentally infected with angiostrongylus costaricensis larvae, etiological agent of abdominal angiostrongyliasis, showing that a. fulica is susceptible to the parasite. achatina fulica may be a risk to urbanization of abdominal angiostrongyliasis presumably due to its high proliferation, continuous dispersion and remarkable adaptation in several brazilian towns.	2003	15049117
ocular parastrongyliasis (=angiostrongyliasis): probable first report of human infection from a patient in ceylon (sri lanka).	what is considered to be the first case of human parastrongyliasis (angiostrongyliasis) worldwide is described from a patient in ceylon (sri lanka) in 1925. it also predates the description of the parasite in humans by chen (1935).	2004	15828436
eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis: a case report and literature review.		2004	15569579
induced eosinophilia and proliferation in angiostrongylus cantonensis-infected mouse brain are associated with the induction of jak/stat1, iap/nf-kappab and mekk1/jnk signals.	eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis is endemic to the pacific area of asia, especially taiwan, thailand, and japan. although eosinophilia is an important clinical manifestation of a. cantonensis infection, the role of eosinophils in the progress of the infection remains to be elucidated. in this experiment, we show that a. cantonensis-induced eosinophilia and inflammation might lead to the induction of iap/nf-kappab, jak/stat1 and mekk1/jnk signal ...	2004	15575987
alteration of antibodies against the fifth-stage larvae and changes in brain magnetic resonance images in experimentally infected rabbits with angiostrongylus cantonensis.	magnetic resonance (mr) imaging has been suggested to be helpful in delineating the lesions during the acute phase of angiostrongyliasis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis. in this study, antibody titers in serum samples of 3 rabbits were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and brain mr images were obtained from 6 rabbits. the antibody titer elevated rapidly in the first 4 wk postinfection (pi) before reaching a plateau. however, suspicious changes in brain mr images near the lef ...	2004	15562631
ultrastructural localization of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in eosinophils from the cerebrospinal fluid of mice with eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	matrix metalloproteinase-9 (mmp-9) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis. in the present study, such meningitis in mice was found to be associated with elevated expression of mmp-9 mrna, elevated mmp-9 concentrations and enhanced mmp-9 activity in the cerebrospinal fluid (csf). immunocytochemistry showed that an anti-mmp-9 antibody reacted with macrophages, neutrophils and eosinophils from the csf. as eosinophils are generally co ...	2004	15667715
common antigenicities between angiostrongylus cantonensis and various species of snails.	studies on common antigenicities were carried out by using rabbit sera immunized with angiostrongylus cantonensis adult worms or the third stage larvae and antigens of various species of snails and vice versa by the immunoblotting technique. the results obtained are summarized as follows: (1) common antigenicities between a. cantonensis adult worms and snails susceptible to a. cantonensis were observed in a range of molecular weights of 14.3 to 200 kda. in puerto rican pigmented biomphalaria gla ...	2004	15916068
fatal autochthonous eosinophilic meningitis in a jamaican child caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	a fatal case of infection with angiostrongylus cantonensis is reported in a 14-month-old jamaican boy. although infection with angiostrongylus was not considered initially, sections of multiple worms were observed in the brain and lungs at autopsy and confirmed the infection. this is the first reported fatality due to this infection in the western hemisphere, and follows shortly after an outbreak of eosinophilic meningitis among a group of travelers to jamaica. the source of infection in this ca ...	2004	15100458
failure to detect angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in barbados.		2004	15114899
treatment with mebendazole is not associated with distal migration of adult angiostrongylus costaricensis in the murine experimental infection.	abdominal angiostrongyliasis is a zoonotic infection produced by a metastrongylid intra-arterial nematode, angiostrongylus costaricensis. human accidental infection may result in abdominal lesions and treatment with anti-helminthics is contra-indicated because of potential higher morbidity with excitement or death of worms inside vessels. to evaluate the effect of mebendazole on localization of the worms, male swiss mice, 5 week-old, were infected with 10 third stage larvae per animal. twelve in ...	2004	15141273
the efficacy of therapy with albendazole in mice with parasitic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	matrix metalloproteinase 9 (mmp-9) is involved in the pathogenesis of parasitic meningitis caused by the nematode angiostrongylus cantonensis. the present study evaluated the efficacy of albendazole therapy in balb/c mice infected with the third stage larvae of this nematode. albendazole showed a pronounced larvicidal activity. eosinophil numbers significantly increased in infected mice but decreased upon administration of albendazole. densitometric scanning indicated that albendazole reduced ge ...	2004	15179507
parastrongylus cantonensis in a nonhuman primate, florida.	parastrongylus (= angiostrongylus) cantonensis is a parasitic nematode of norway rats throughout tropical regions. this parasite is neurotropic and causes disease and death in humans and other mammals. we report the first identification of p. cantonensis as the cause of a debilitating neurologic disease in a captive primate in florida.	2004	15663863
infection of balb/c mice with angiostrongylus costaricensis decreases pulmonary inflammatory response to ovalbumin.	summary the prevalence of asthma in developing countries is lower than in developed countries. viral, bacterial and parasitic infections may be associated with this discrepancy. the relationship between parasitic infection and asthma prevalence is not clear. previous controversial data have demonstrated that parasitic infection may either predispose or protect against the development of asthma. the aim of this study is to determine whether infection with angiostrongylus costaricensis (a. costari ...	2004	15279626
cross-reactions with ascaris suum antigens of sera from mice infected with a. suum, toxocara canis, and angiostrongylus cantonensis.	ascaris suum larval excretory-secretory (ases) antigen and larval (asla) as well as adult somatic antigen (asaa) which were thought to be possibly helpful in the diagnosis of visceral larva migrans (vlm) due to a. suum infection were investigated in the present study. serum taken from mice orally inoculated with approximately 250 embryonated eggs of a. suum or toxocara canis, or 40 third-stage larvae of angiostrongylus cantonensis were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) using ...	2004	15468534
angiostrongylus cantonensis meningitis presenting with facial nerve palsy.		2004	15503114
induction of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in murine eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	matrix metalloproteinases (mmp) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. in the present study, a gelatinase was found to be induced in parasitic meningitis caused, in mice, by angiostrongylus cantonensis. the enzyme had a molecular weight of about 94 kda, showed maximal activity between ph 6 and ph 8, and was clearly inhibited by edta and 1,10-phenanthroline but not by leupeptin or phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride. when samples of ce ...	2004	15509425
eosinophil chemoattracted by eotaxin from cerebrospinal fluid of mice infected with angiostrongylus cantonensis assayed in a microchamber.	when non-permissive hosts are infected with angiostrongylus cantonensis, the migration of the worms to the brain and their subsequent development manifests as marked eosinophilic pleocytosis. we used microchambers to demonstrate direct eosinophil chemotactic activity by adding a variety of antibodies into cerebrospinal fluid (csf) of balb/c mice 21 days post-infection with a. cantonensis. the antibodies were directed to neutralize eotaxin, rantes (regulated on activation, normal t-cells expresse ...	2004	15233231
the influence of zinc in mice on infection with angiostrongylus cantonensis.	balb/cbyj mice were divided into zinc-deficient (zd), high zinc-supplemented (zh), adequately zinc-replete (za) and normal control groups by daily dietary control. the body weight in zd and zh mice became significantly less than that of normal control mice from 4 weeks (p < 0.002) until 7 weeks (p < 0.0001) after consecutive zinc control. the kinetics of change in body weight of zd and zh mice after infection with angiostrongylus cantonensis were similar to that of uninfected groups mentioned ab ...	2004	15338294
outbreak of eosinophilic meningitis associated with drinking raw vegetable juice in southern taiwan.	the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis is the rat lungworm angiostrongylus cantonensis a parasite that is endemic in the southeast asian and pacific regions. outbreaks of eosinophilic meningitis associated with drinking raw vegetable juice are rarely reported, even in regions of endemic infection. we performed a cohort study among taiwanese with eosinophilic meningitis who drank raw vegetable juice within three months of the onset of the outbreak. clinical manifestations, laboratory ex ...	2004	15306715
association of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in eosinophilic meningitis of balb/c mice caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	induction of gelatinase in eosinophilic meningitis of balb/c-strain mice was caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis. time-course studies showed that the molecular weight of 94-kda gelatinase was detected at day 10 post-inoculation (pi), and reached a high intensity from days 15 to 25 pi. the 94-kda gelatinase activity was clearly inhibited by edta and 1,10-phenanthroline, but not by leupeptin and phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride. when immunoblots were performed using specific antiserums against th ...	2004	15449178
kinetics of change in the eotaxin concentration in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of mice infected with angiostrongylus cantonensis.	the kinetics of changes in the eotaxin concentration in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) of balb/c mice after infection with angiostrongylus cantonensis and the correlation between the concentration of eotaxin and worm recovery were investigated. the mean concentration of eotaxin in serum of infected mice gradually increased from 46.3+/-6.5 pg/ml at week 0 to 104.9+/-44.8 pg/ml at week 3 after infection, while the mean eotaxin level in the csf of infected mice rapidly increased from 18.7+ ...	2004	14648203
immuno-pcr for detection of antigen to angiostrongylus cantonensis circulating fifth-stage worms.	definitive diagnosis of infestation with angiostrongylus cantonensis is difficult because the parasitic nematode is undetectable in the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) of one-half of afflicted patients and the diagnostic sensitivity of elisa for circulating worm antigens in patient sera is low. we studied immuno-pcr as a diagnostic tool.	2004	14709636
eosinophilic meningitis in a child raising snails as pets.	the rat lungworm (angiostrongylus cantonensis) is the principal cause of eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis worldwide. it is endemic in taiwan and the asia pacific area. we report the case of a 10-year-old boy who was referred to us suffering from intermittent headache, low-grade fever and blurred vision of 4-5 days' duration. he had been treated for gastroenteritis just prior to referral. the patient's history was unremarkable, except that he raised snail (ampullarium canaliculatus) ...	2004	14739022
elevation of plasminogen activators in cerebrospinal fluid of mice with eosinophilic meningitis caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	a hallmark of parasitic meningitis is the infiltration of eosinophils into the subarachnoid space. infection with angiostrongylus cantonensis in mice induced proteinase activity in parallel with the pathological changes of eosinophilic meningitis. zymogram analysis demonstrated that 70 and 55 kda proteinases from cerebrospinal fluid (csf) were active against the casein/plasminogen substrate. the proteinase activities were clearly inhibited by phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride but not by ethylenedi ...	2004	15542096
molecular differentiation of angiostrongylus costaricensis, a. cantonensis, and a. vasorum by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.	angiostrongylus cantonensis, a. costaricensis, and a. vasorum are etiologic agents of human parasitic diseases. their identification, at present, is only possible by examining the adult worm after a 40-day period following infection of vertebrate hosts with the third-stage larvae. in order to obtain a diagnostic tool to differentiate larvae and adult worm from the three referred species, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was carried out. the rdna second internal ...	2004	15049087
eosinophilic meningoencephalitis with permanent neurological sequelae.		2004	15086709
association of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and purkinje cell degeneration in mouse cerebellum caused by angiostrongylus cantonensis.	angiostrongylosis is a neurological disorder caused by invasion of the central nervous system by developing larvae of angiostrongylus cantonensis. purkinje cells in infected mouse cerebellums are small and irregular with degenerative atrophy or partial loss. ultrastructural changes in degenerative cells included enlarged vacuolar structures and swollen mitochondria within the cytoplasm. the matrix metalloproteinase-9 mrna which is low in normal cerebellums was expressed in a. cantonensis-infecte ...	2004	15380686
changing epidemiology of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis in okinawa prefecture, japan.		2004	15329455
eosinophilic meningitis due to angiostrongylus cantonensis in switzerland.	eosinophilic meningitis is a well-known disease in areas where the rat lung worm angiostrongylus cantonensis is endemic, i.e. in southeast asia and in the caribbean. we report a case of eosinophilic meningitis due to infection with angiostrongylus cantonensis in a traveler returning from cuba. the diagnosis was based upon symptoms of chronic meningitis associated with hyperesthesia and presence of eosinophilia in the cerebrospinal fluid. with increasing mobility rare infections like eosinophilic ...	2004	15057577
longitudinal clinical and serological survey of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in guaporé, southern brazil, from 1995 to 1999.	abdominal angiostrongyliasis is a zoonotic infection caused by angiostrongylus costaricensis, a nematode with an intra-vascular location in the mesentery. our objective was to address several aspects of the natural history of this parasitosis, in a longitudinal clinical and seroepidemiological study. a total of 179 individuals living in a rural area with active transmission in southern brazil were followed for five years (1995-1999) resulting in yearly prevalence of 28.2%, 4.2%, 10%, 20.2% and 2 ...	2005	16082477
ocular angiostrongyliasis: removal of a live nematode from the anterior chamber.		2005	15232595