People's Daily health client reporter Dong Yingyu
An 8-year-old boy in Guangzhou who had a white pupil in his right eye for more than 2 months went to the Zhongshan Eye Center of Sun Yat-sen University for treatment, and after research by Professor Ding Xiaoyan of the Zhongshan Eye Center of Sun Yat-sen University and Associate Professor Xie Yue of the Animal Parasitic Disease Research Center of the College of Veterinary Medicine of Sichuan Agricultural University, it was determined that the cause was caused by toxoplasma gondii infection. Recently, two experts published a research paper on this case in the top international medical journal "Lancet - Infectious Disease".
Photography of the anterior segment - roundworm disease of the eye causes leukophylesis
The Zhongshan Eye Center of Sun Yat-sen University told the People's Daily Health Client that the boy went to the pediatric ophthalmology department of the center for more than 2 months due to the white pupil of the right eye, and the vision of the right eye dropped to barely see the fingers, and the eye microscopy and ultrasound tests showed that the boy had a full eye cataract and was accompanied by retinal detachment. Asking for medical history, it was learned that the boy had a dog at home, and the pet dog had not undergone any deworming treatment, and the child usually liked to play with the dog.
According to the clinical manifestations of the children, Professor Ding Xiaoyan, with many years of clinical experience, is highly suspected of being an eye roundworm infection. After communicating with the child's family, it was quickly confirmed by laboratory immunological tests: the child's serum and intraocular fluid were positive for Toxocaria canine-specific IgG antibodies and had high titers.
Subsequently, in order to further find evidence of infection, Professor Ding Xiaoyan's team cooperated with the team of Professor Xie Yue of the Animal Parasitic Disease Research Center of Sichuan Agricultural University to collect fresh feces from the boy's home, conduct parasite detection and deworming treatment. Fecal examination and parasite morphological results confirmed that the dog had severe toxocaria infestation, further establishing that the cause of leukoticular disease in boys was indeed caused by toxocytosis infection.
Fecal examination and morphological observation of insect bodies in the child's domestic dog
Professor Ding Xiaoyan introduced in an interview with Guangdong Television that human toxoplasmosis mainly occurs in school-age children, and the great feature of this disease is that it is hidden, and only a slow decline in vision will occur, and it may develop into "white pupil disease" after half a year or a year, and there will be no redness and pain in the eyes. After surgery and anti-inflammatory treatment, the boy has been discharged from the hospital, but unfortunately, his vision in his right eye has not improved during the 6 months of follow-up.
The study pointed out that toxocariasis is a globally neglected eye disease, caused by the migration of toxoplasma canine roundworm larvae into the eye, is one of the main causes of blindness in children worldwide, once the disease is not detected in time, the damage to vision is irreversible, and may eventually cause blindness, which needs attention.