Two cases of cutaneous larva migrans = Two cases of cutaneous larva migrans

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Cutaneous larva migrans(CLM) is a skin disease caused by direct penetration of nematode larvae in sand or soil. It is one of the most common dermatoses among travelers returning from tropical countries. Patient with CLM typically presents intensively pruritic serpiginous eruptions on the exposed areas. This is due to intraepidermal migration of animal hookworms which cannot penetrate the basement membrane so that they are only pathogenic to animals. A 32-year-old male with extremely pruritic winding tracks on his buttock, thigh, and arm visited our clinic with his wife, a 30-year-old woman who also presented creeping eruptions on the same area. They had travelled Thailand and the symptoms started a month ago soon after coming back to Korea. The couple said they ate cooked food except salmon. Besides, they do not keep any kind of pets at home. The laboratory findings of them revealed eosinophilia(eosinophil count 770/㎕) in the man but normal(eosinophil count 300/㎕) in his wife. The histopathology examination of the husband showed many inflammatory cellular infiltrations on the epidermis and upper dermis composed of eosinophils and lymphocytes. They were both treated with a single 400-mg oral dose of albendazole. A week later, their itching sensations were subsided and skin lesions were much improved.