Eosinophilic meningoencephalitis due to neurotoxocariasis presenting as gross motor developmental regression in an infant: A Case Report

Abstract

Eosinophilic meningitis is diagnosed when CSF contains >10 eosinophils/ml or at least 10% of eosinophils as a proportion of CSF leucocytes. The most common etiology of eosinophilic meningitis is tissue migrating helminths. We report a ten month old infant with neurotoxocariasis presenting as gross motor developmental regression and features of meningoencephalitis which is very rare in this age group. A dramatic improvement was observed within a few days of starting Albendazole and prednisolone and the patient recovered without residual neurological deficit. We conclude that neurotoxocariasis should be suspected in the presence of neurological symptoms along with eosinophilia in blood and/or CSF.

Keywords

• eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, neurotoxocariasis, tissue migrating helminths, anti-toxocara antibodies, anthelminthics