Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 13, Number 6—June 2007
Dispatch

Full Recovery from Baylisascaris procyonis Eosinophilic Meningitis

Poulomi J. Pai*, Brian G. Blackburn†1, Kevin R. Kazacos‡, Rajasekharan P. Warrier*, and Rodolfo E. Bégué*Comments to Author 
Author affiliations: *Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; †Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ‡Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Main Article

Table

Reported human cases of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis caused by Baylisascaris procyonis*

Year of onset Location Age Sex Blood eos/ mm3, n (%)† CSF eos/ mm3, n (%)† Diagnostic method Outcome
1975 Missouri 18 mo Female 5,139 (30) 209 (80) Serologic (cross-reacting) Persistent weakness and spastic right arm and leg
1980 Pennsylvania 10 mo Male 4,698 (27) 63 (68) Autopsy, serologic Death
1984 Illinois 18 mo Male 3,700 (37) 220 (80) Autopsy, serologic Death
1990 New York 13 mo Male 6,513 (39) 75 (60) Serologic Neurologic deficits, cortical blindness, brain atrophy
1993 Michigan 9 mo Male Unknown Unknown Serologic Neurologic deficits, cortical blindness
1993 California 13 mo Male 12,780 (45) Not done Brain biopsy, serologic Neurologic deficits, blindness, seizures, brain atrophy
1996 Illinois 6 y Male 605 (5) 2 (<1) Serologic Neurologic deficits, seizures
1996 Minnesota 13 mo Male 7,035 (35) 3 (54) Serologic Death
1997 Minnesota 19 mo Male 2,232 (18) 5 (4) Serologic Death
1998 California 11 mo Male 3,111 (17) 1 (7) Serologic Neurologic deficits, seizures, profound visual impairment
2000 Illinois 2.5 y Male 5,880 (28) 26 (32) Serologic Neurologic deficits, blindness, generalized spasticity
2000 California 17 y Male 2,385 (15) 7 (37) Brain biopsy, serologic Death
2002 California 11 mo Male Unknown Unknown Serologic Neurologic deficits, cortical blindness, seizures
2004‡ Louisiana 4 y Male 1,920 (12) 954 (55) Serologic Full recovery

*Modified from references (5) and (6), with permission.
†Highest within first 5 days of admission; eos, eosinophils; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid.
‡Case reported in this article.

Main Article

References
  1. Michaels  MG. Eosinophilic meningitis. In: Long SS, Pickering LK, Prober CG, editors. Principles and practice of pediatric infectious diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingston; 2003:312–5.
  2. Kazacos  KR. Baylisascaris procyonis and related species. In: Samuel WM, Pybus MJ, Kocan AA, editors. Parasitic diseases of wild mammals. 2nd ed. Ames (IA): Iowa State University Press; 2001:301–41.
  3. Murray  WJ, Kazacos  KR. Raccoon roundworm encephalitis. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;39:148492. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Nuamtanong  S. The evaluation of the 29 and 31 kDa antigens in female Angiostrongylus cantonensis for serodiagnosis of human angiostrongyliasis. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 1996;27:2916.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Sorvillo  F, Ash  LR, Berlin  OG, Morse  SA. Baylisascaris procyonis: an emerging helminthic zoonosis. Emerg Infect Dis. 2002;8:3559. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. Gavin  PJ, Kazacos  KR, Shulman  ST. Baylisascariasis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2005;18:70318. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. Roussere  GP, Murray  WJ, Raudenbush  CB, Kutilek  MJ, Levee  DJ, Kazacos  KR. Raccoon roundworm eggs near homes and risk for larva migrans disease, California communities. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:151622.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Brinkman  WB, Kazacos  KR, Gavin  PJ, Binns  HJ, Robichaud  JD, O’Gorman  M, Seroprevalence of Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm) in Chicago area children. In: Program and abstracts of the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, Seattle, Washington; 2003 May 3–6. Abstract 1872 [cited 2007 Mar 29]. Available from http://www.abstracts2view.com/pasall/authorindex.php)
  9. Taylor  MR, Keane  CT, O’Connor  P, Mulvihill  E, Holland  C. The expanded spectrum of toxocaral disease. Lancet. 1988;1:6924. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  10. Kazacos  KR. Protecting children from helminthic zoonoses. Contemp Pediatr. 2000;17(Suppl):124.
  11. Boyce  WM, Asai  DJ, Wilder  JK, Kazacos  KR. Physicochemical characterization and monoclonal and polyclonal antibody recognition of Baylisascaris procyonis larval excretory-secretory antigens. J Parasitol. 1989;75:5408. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

Main Article

1Current affiliation: Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

Page created: May 31, 2011
Page updated: May 31, 2011
Page reviewed: May 31, 2011
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external