[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-458902-105":59,"doc-detail-458902-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","human-infection-by-zoonotic-eye-fluke-philophthalmus-lacrymosus-case-report-and-study","Human Infection by Zoonotic Eye Fluke Philophthalmus lacrymosus - Case Report and Study","","A severe conjunctivitis case involved a traveler infected with the zoonotic eye fluke Philophthalmus lacrymosus, likely acquired on the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. The article reviews the parasite’s endemic distribution in Brazil and Venezuela and summarizes its complex lifecycle involving aquatic plants and intermediate snail hosts. Detailed clinical evaluation and removal of the mobile conjunctival structure preceded morphological and molecular confirmation via PCR and Sanger sequencing. Follow-up showed complete recovery without complications.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/human-infection-by-zoonotic-eye-fluke-philophthalmus-lacrymosus-case-report-and-study/458902/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/human-infection-by-zoonotic-eye-fluke-philophthalmus-lacrymosus-case-report-and-study/458902.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Indoniesian Boy","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-08","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":14},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What parasite was responsible for the traveler’s conjunctivitis, and where was infection likely acquired?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The infection was attributed to Philophthalmus lacrymosus. It was likely acquired on the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What symptoms and eye findings did the patient have before treatment?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"She had 9 days of intense pain, eyelid swelling, and a moving foreign body sensation. Examination showed eyelid edema, intense chemosis, and follicular reaction of the inferior fornix, with no remarkable cornea, anterior segment, or fundus findings.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How was the organism identified after removal?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The extracted structure was confirmed as P. lacrymosus through detailed morphologic studies and molecular analyses using PCR followed by bidirectional Sanger sequencing of ITS2 and Cox1.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},458902,1790754722,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":14,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":19,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":129,"read_time":52,"preview_page_count":4},962090760608,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Human Infection by Zoonotic Eye Fluke Philophthalmus lacrymosus, South America  \nThomas Weitzel, Esteban M. Cordero,1 Trinidad Mujica,1 Carolina Aravena, Brianne E. Phillips, Michael J. Yabsley, Gregory A. Lewbart, Diego Páez-Rosas, María Isabel Jercic, Sofía Capasso  \nWe report a case of severe conjunctivitis in a traveler infected with a Philophthalmus lacrymosus eye fluke, probably acquired on the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. This zoonotic parasite is endemic in Brazil and Venezuela, where it has been reported in birds and capybaras.  \nPoat,htalympius sppcally in. phaarabisitetings are  \nthe  \ncosmopolitan digeconjunctival sac of  \nwaterbirds. The trematodes, known as avian eye flukes, have a complex lifecycle, which includes freshwater and marine snails as intermediate hosts and waterbirds as final hosts. Birds are infected by ingestion of infective metacercariae that are encysted on aquatic plants (1) . After thermally triggered excystation in the pharynx, the parasite migrates through the lacrimal ducts to the orbital cavity. Ocular infections of mammals have been reported in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from Brazil, Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) in Ecuador, and rarely other mammals, including humans (2–6) . The mode of infection in nonavian hosts is uncertain; both ingestion and direct contact with cercariae or metacercariae have been proposed (2,7) .  \nGlobally, >50 nominal Philophthalmus spp. trematodes have been described; however, recent evidence suggests that only ≈10 species are valid (1,5) . In South America, Philophthalmus spp. flukes have been reported from Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands (1,3,8,9) . Further geographic spread of Philophthalmus spp. trematodes by invasive snail species is probable (9,10) .  \nSince 1939, a total of 12 human philophthalmiasis cases have been published. Infections were acquired in Asia, Europe, and North America and mostly identified to the genus level, but cases compatible with philophthalmiasis already were known in the 19th Century (Appendix 1, [https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/)[ ](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/)[EID/article/31/12/25-1126-App1.pdf](EID/article/31/12/25-1126-App1.pdf)) . We describe a case of philophthalmiasis caused by a Philophthalmus lacrymosus eye fluke in a traveler from Europe, probably acquired on the Galápagos Islands.  \nThe Study  \nA 26-year-old woman from England sought care in Santiago, Chile, for a 9-day history of intense pain, swelling, and a moving foreign body sensation in her right eye. Before symptom onset, she had visited Colombia (4-week stay); Ecuador, including Galápagos Islands (2.5-week stay); and Peru (1-week stay). Ocular examination showed eyelid edema, intense chemosisand follicular reaction of the inferior fornix, and superior tarsal conjunctiva. Results of cornea examination, anterior segment findings, and fundus examination were unremarkable. After a thorough examination, we removed an elongated mobile structure located on the upper tarsal conjunctiva by using a moist cotton swab. After removal, the foreign body sensation disappeared. Follow-up over the following weeks showed a complete recovery without complications.  \nWe performed detailed morphologic studies of the extracted structure on a temporary wet mount by  \nAuthor affiliations: Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile (T. Weitzel, C. Aravena); Charité– Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany (T. Weitzel); Instituto de Salud Pública, Santiago (E. M. Cordero, M. I. Jercic), Fundación Instituto Professional Duoc UC, Santiago  \n(T. Mujica); Zoo New England, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (B. E. Phillips); University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA (M.J. Yabsley); North Carolina State University, Raleigh,  \nNorth Carolina, USA (G.A. Lewbart), Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador (D. Páez-Rosas); Galápagos Conservancy, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador (D. Páez-Rosas); Oniris, INRAE, BI","cbCaicCDsH62QGN1","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicCDsH62QGN1","pdf",839484,"English","# The case and travel history\n## Clinical findings and treatment\n# Background on Philophthalmus lifecycle and distribution\n# Study methods: morphology and molecular confirmation\n## Morphologic description of the specimen\n## PCR and Sanger sequencing","[{\"question\":\"What parasite was responsible for the traveler’s conjunctivitis, and where was infection likely acquired?\",\"answer\":\"The infection was attributed to Philophthalmus lacrymosus. It was likely acquired on the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.\"},{\"question\":\"What symptoms and eye findings did the patient have before treatment?\",\"answer\":\"She had 9 days of intense pain, eyelid swelling, and a moving foreign body sensation. Examination showed eyelid edema, intense chemosis, and follicular reaction of the inferior fornix, with no remarkable cornea, anterior segment, or fundus findings.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the organism identified after removal?\",\"answer\":\"The extracted structure was confirmed as P. lacrymosus through detailed morphologic studies and molecular analyses using PCR followed by bidirectional Sanger sequencing of ITS2 and Cox1.\"}]","Human Infection by Zoonotic Eye Fluke Philophthalmus lacrymosus - Case Report and Study | PDF"]