Cutaneous larva migrans in an eleven-year-old boy in an urban setting in Rivers State

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous larva migrans is a tropical infectious disease that is usually acquired from contact with soil contaminated with larvae of nonhuman hookworms or Strongyloides usually from faeces of dogs and cats.
Aim: To report a case of a boy who presented with pruritic migratory serpiginous skin lesions.
Case report: An eleven year old boy with a linear skin lesion was initially misdiagnosed as having an allergy at a private clinic. There was a history of playing regular football in a field contaminated by dog\'s urine and faeces.. Later it was highly suspected that he had cutaneous larva migrans. He responded to treatment with albendazole.
Conclusion: Physicians should be aware that such infestations are endemic in Nigeria and should be familiar with the typical features


Keywords: CCutaneous larva migrans, Ancylostoma braziliense, Albendazole

Port Harcourt Medical Journal Vol. 3 (1) 2008: pp. 108
-110