ANGIOSTRONGYLUS CANTONENSIS AMONG RODENTS AND HUMANS IN SHARKIYA, EGYPT
Alaa Abdel Aziz Mohamed Samn
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University
Objective: The occurrence of cases of self-limited meningo-encephalitis which does not respond to specific antibacterial therapy is not so rare in El-Husseiniya, Sharkia, Egypt. Methods: 420 rats were collected identified, anesthetized and killed. 11 CSF (Cerebro Spinal Fluid) and blood samples of patients suspected of having meningitis admitted in El-Husseiniya Fever Hospital, were investigated. Four cases out of them were proven to have marked CSF and blood eosinophilia. Sera were separated and kept at -20°C to be examined later by anti A. cantonensis dot-ELISA. Ten control healthy individuals aged 10-40 years were subjected to ELISA sero-testing. Results: Sera collected from all 4 cases reacted characteristically against A. cantonensis worm antigens using Dot-blot ELISA kits. Eleven (2.6%) rats out of 420 ones were infected by A. cantonensis in their lungs. Conclusion: A. cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cases of meningitis and meningo-encephalitis in Egypt.
June 2017