Subcutaneous infection caused by Dirofilaria repens imported to Slovenia.

A case of human subcutaneous dirofilariasis is presented. A complete nematode removed from the tumour in the occipital region of a 61-year-old woman was identified, on the basis of its anatomical and histological characteristics, as a nongravid adult female of the species Dirofilaria repens. The patient had probably been infected on the Canary Islands, Spain, 7 months previously. In the future, the clinical and laboratory staff in Slovenia will have to be more alert to the possibility of dirofilariasis in patients with subcutaneous tumours, particularly in individuals who had travelled to endemic areas several months or years before the tumour was detected. Copyright 2001 The British Infection Society.