Peking University Third Hospital, China
Background: Thelaziasis is a zoonotic disease mainly
caused by Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae, Thelazia), which can
cause mild to severe signs and lesions, such as foreign body sensation,
itching, tearing, eye pain, conjunctival bleeding, conjunctivitis, corneal
ulcers, and even blindness. Besides, thelaziasis is mainly prevalent in areas
with poor economic and health conditions and a large number of local domestic
or wild animals infected, especially in summer and autumn.
Case presentation: A 41-year-old office lady presented to the hospital
and reported itching in her right eye for one month in Beijing. This patient
had a history of seasonal allergy and owned a cat and once found cat fur on her
contact lens before the itching onset. Four worms were observed in the superior
conjunctival sac of her right eye. The worms were removed and identified as
Thelazia callipaeda. The symptoms resolved after the removal of the worms.
Then, The patient received gatifloxacin ointment for one week. There were no
recurrences at the 2-month follow-up.Conclusion: We report a case of human
thelaziasis in Beijing. Though most previous cases were from rural areas with
poor sanitation, doctors should be aware of the possibility of this disease in
the city. In our report, several clinical signs were discussed as indications
for the diagnosis, which may lead to faster identification of thelaziasis and
earlier treatment initiation
Shumei Tan, born in 2000, entered
Clinical Medicine (Eight-year program) at Peking University Health Science
Center in 2018. In 2023, she entered the Department of Ophthalmology of Peking
University Third Hospital to study for Doctor of Medicine. At present, she has published an ophthalmological SCI article as the first co-author (IF=2.1).