INTRODUCTION: Dirofilariasis is a rare zoonosis caused by Dirofilaria genus, which affects mainly the lungs and may be misdiagnosed as lung cancer. Little information is available regarding the occurrence and distribution of human dirofilariasis in South America. Only 50 cases of human pulmonary dirofilariasis were described in Brazil until 2004, of which 37 were located in São Paulo. OBJECTIVE: To prove the existence of dirofilariasis in Joinville, SC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of anatomic pathology laboratories of the city were reviewed in search for cases with the terms parasitic granuloma, helminth, helminthiasis, worm, Dirofilaria and dirofilariasis. According to specific literature, the cases that met the criteria for dirofilariasis were included in the study. The medical records were reviewed and the samples reprocessed and histologically analyzed by six different stains. RESULTS: We found one ocular case and seven pulmonary cases. The lower lobe was the main location (five cases). In all pulmonary cases, microscopic analysis revealed well defined nodules, frequently centered in a pulmonary artery, with granulomatous reaction and necrosis associated with fibrosis and mono and polymorphonuclear inflammatory infiltrate. It was also possible to identify segments of the deteriorated worm consistent with Dirofilaria immitis. DISCUSSION: All parasites found in this study show morphological characteristics similar to those reported in the literature on Dirofilaria immitis. The presence of D. immitis in the eye, as reported in one of the patients from this review, is rare. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of human dirofilariasis was confirmed in Joinville and region and it was caused by Dirofilaria immitis.
Dirofilariasis; Dirofilaria; Dirofilaria immitis; Pathology
