Neurotrichinosis in a pediatric patient

Abstract

Neurotrichinosis is an infrequent but severe form of trichinosis. Pediatric neurotrichinosis reports in the medical literature are scarce and mostly outdated. Trichinosis is caused by infection with the larvae of T. spiralis due to the ingestion of undercooked, contaminated meat (mainly pork, horsemeat and game). An estimated 10,000 cases of trichinellosis occur every year worldwide, with a death rate of 0.2%, according to reports from 55 countries where trichinellosis occurs autochthonously. We report a case of neurotrichinosis in a 14-year-old girl from a rural area in Argentina. Treatment with corticosteroids rapidly improves myositis and vasculitis-related symptoms and prevents complications. In our patient, we observed clinical improvement after 4 days of treatment.