Ocular Trematodiasis Caused by the Avian Eye Fluke Philophthalmus in Southern Texas

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019 Jun 13;6(7):ofz265. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz265. eCollection 2019 Jul.

Abstract

A trematode identified as a Philophthalmus sp was extracted from the bulbar conjunctiva of a patient in southern Texas with short-distance travel to Mexico. This parasite is very rarely reported from humans, and species identification is challenging. Aspects of diagnosis, zoonotic transmission, and unresolved questions about Philophthalmus spp are discussed.

Keywords: Philophthalmus; conjunctivitis; ocular parasitosis; trematodiases; zoonotic infections.