Subcutaneous dirofilariosis in Italy: a diagnostic hypothesis to remind when the anamnesis is misleading

Subcutaneous parasitic infections are possible matches in routine pathology and can be detected not only in patients coming from or travelling in tropical countries, but also when the anamnesis does not suggest at first worm infestations. Here we report the case of a young man from the north-west of Italy, with a negative anamnesis for travels but the presence of dogs at home, who presented a subcutaneous nodule showing a nematode surrounded by a fibrous capsule; the morphology was suggestive for Dirofilaria repens. Dirofilariosis is a zoonosis caused by D. repens or D. immitis, which can be acquired by dogs and cats through mosquitos bites; the disease is widespread in developing countries, but it is also emerging in Western countries, becoming an important public health issue.