CLINICAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Human toxocariasis has two characteristic syndromes: visceral larva migrans (VLM) and ocular disease. VLM can be asymptomatic or can cause a variety of signs and symptoms including fever, pallor, coughing, wheezing, lassitude, anorexia, weight loss, hepatomegaly, skin rash, abdominal pain, seizures, poliomyelitis, and myocarditis. The majority of patients with the systemic disease do not have ocular involvement (1, 2).

Intraocular infestations with T. canis typically occur unilaterally in young children. However, it occasionally occurs bilaterally and/or in adults. Three clinical pictures of ocular disease are generally described: (1) a raised lesion at or near the posterior pole; (2) a peripheral granuloma involving retina, with overlying vitreous opacification and vitreoretinal traction; (3) diffuse endophthalmitis (2, 3). Other less common presentations of ocular toxocariasis have been seen in cases of pars planitis, vitreous abscess, optic neuritis, keratitis, uveities, hypopyon, or motile larvae in the vitreous cavity (1, 4).

1. Shields JA. Ocular toxocariasis. A review. Surv Ophthalmol 1984; 28:361-81.

2. Dinning WJ, Gillespie SH, Cooling RJ, Maizels RM. Toxocariasis: a practical approach to management of ocular disease. Eye 1988; 2:580-2.

3. Molk R. Ocular toxocariasis. A review of the literature. Ann Ophthalmol 1983; 15:216- 31.