The New England Journal of Medicine documented an imported instance of infection resulting from Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a parasitic nematode species. The case involved a thirty-year-old female traveler from New England (UK) who, following a sojourn in Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii, initially presented with mild symptoms, which subsequently intensified to include a burning sensation extending to the chest and limbs, as well as a recalcitrant headache unresponsive to analgesic intervention. Comprehensive clinical investigations identified a parasitic etiology, attributed by medical professionals to the consumption of seafood and raw vegetables during the Hawaiian sojourn. The patient was treated with a targeted therapy including steroids and anti-parasitics. Following a brief period of hospitalisation, the patient was discharged. Early diagnosis was essential, because if not treated properly, the infection could prove fatal, as it can cause eosinophilic meningitis.
A. cantonensis human infection, initially characterized in Taiwan, is now prevalent throughout numerous tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii, exhibiting an expanding geographic range encompassing locally acquired infections in Europe, Australia, the southern United States, and the Caribbean.
