%0 Journal Article
%T Mannose-binding lectin deficiency with eosinophilic meningoencephalitis due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis in children: a case series
%A B¨¢rbara Padilla-Docal
%A Alberto J Dorta-Contreras
%A Raisa Bu-Coifiu-Fanego
%A Ren¨¦ H Mart¨ªnez-Alderete
%A Olga de Paula-Almeida
%A Hansotto Reiber
%A Jens Jensenius
%J Journal of Medical Case Reports
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-1947-5-330
%X Three Caucasian boys (aged five-years-old, 10-years-old and six-years-old) with a diagnosis of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis were studied. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgM, IgG, and complements C3c and C4 levels were quantified by using an immunodiffusion technique. Immunoglobulin E in serum was quantified by nephelometry and mannose-binding lectin by time-resolved fluorometry. Mannose-binding lectin deficiency was observed in the three patients. The first patient showed a reduction in the levels of IgA and IgM and an increase in the values of IgE and C4. The second patient showed a reduction in mannose-binding lectin level with increased IgG, C4 and IgE levels, and the third patient showed a decrease in mannose-binding lectin level and increased levels of IgM and complement C3c as well as a low level of C4.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mannose-binding lectin deficiency associated with Angiostrongylus cantonensis meningoencephalitis in children, and it may contribute to the understanding of the participation of this component of the lectin pathway in the development of the disease.Eosinophilic meningitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a parasitic nematode, is considered an emerging infectious disease [1]. Adult A. cantonensis live in the pulmonary arteries of its definitive hosts, that is, rodents, especially rats, which pass infective first-stage larvae (L1) in their feces. The life cycle also involves mollusks harboring larval stages. In humans, larvae fail to mature, and hence humans and their excreta play no role in the transmission and direct dissemination of the parasite. Humans become infected by ingesting third-stage larvae (L3) in raw or undercooked intermediate host mollusks (for example, snails and slugs) or paratenic hosts (for example, freshwater prawns, crabs, frogs and fish) [1]. Lettuce and vegetable juice have also been identified as sources of
%U http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/330