Angiostrongylus cantonensis Eosinophilic Meningitis in an Infant, Tennessee, USA

Abstract

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common infectious cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis worldwide. This parasite is endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and its global distribution is increasing. We report A. cantonensis meningoencephalitis in a 12-month-old boy in Tennessee, USA, who had not traveled outside of southwestern Tennessee or northwestern Mississippi.

Keywords

• Angiostrongylus cantonensis
• meningitis
• eosinophil-predominant pleocytosis
• mild hypoglycorrhacia
• rat lungworm
• meningitis/encephalitis