Human Infection with the Nematode Gongylonema sp.: A Case Report from Bulgaria

Dimitar  Vuchev; Galya  Popova; Maya  Tomova

doi:10.18502/ijpa.v19i3.16397

Dimitar Vuchev Department of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Section of Parasitology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Galya Popova Department of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Section of Parasitology, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Maya Tomova Department of Parasitology, Regional Health Inspectorate, Varna, Bulgaria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijpa.v19i3.16397

Keywords: Gongylonematosis; Zoonotic disease; Helminth; Nematode

Abstract

We report a case of infection with the zoonotic nematode Gongylonema sp. in a 24-year-old woman from Varna, Bulgaria. Two days before seeking medical attention, the patient had noticed a filamentous mass in her buccal mucosa that migrated when touched with the tongue. She manually removed a thread-like worm from the mucosa near her lower lip. Albendazole was prescribed for three days. The patient had no history of travelling abroad or contact with animals. To our knowledge, this is the sixth case that has been reported in the country.