<i>Toxocara</i> <i>canis</i> Myelitis, about a Case in the Neurology Department of the Ignace Deen University Hospital of Conakry

Toxocariasis is a helminthic zoonosis due to the presence in the human body of larvae of Toxocara sp., roundworms of the Ascaridae family. Less than 50 cases of central involvement related to toxocarasis have been reported in immunocompetent individuals. This involvement can result in epilepsy, meningoencephalitis, myelitis or encephalopathy. The standard treatment is albendazole at a dosage of 10 to 15 mg/kg/day. The duration of treatment varies greatly depending on the clinical cases reported, ranging from 5 days to several weeks in the case of severe forms. We report a case of myelitis due to Toxocara canis in a 14-year-old patient admitted for gait disorders. The laboratory assessment shows isolated hypereosinophilia at 8000 elements per mm3. Medullary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an intradural process of inflammatory and infectious appearance extended between T10 and L1 levels, hypointense in T1, hyperintense in T2, and homogeneous. Parasitological analysis of the stools noted the presence of high concentrations of Toxocara canis. Serology by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is strongly positive for toxocariasis, and western blot confirms the presence of antibodies directed against Toxocara larvae. Treatment with albendazole 400 mg × 2/day for 10 days associated with corticosteroid therapy (prednisone 50 mg/day for 5 days) allowed the disappearance of pain in 8 days, normalization of eosinophilia and improvement of walking.