Pascal Del Giudice, Sophie Hakimi, Frédéric Vandenbos, Catherine Magana, Thomas Hubiche
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3217

Cutaneous larva migrans is a dermatitis, typically acquired in warm tropical or sub-tropical countries, caused by migration of the larvae of nematodes (hookworm; mainly Ancylostoma braziliense and, occasionally, Ancylostoma caninum or Uncinaria stenocephala), which are parasitic on animals such as cats and dogs, into the patient’s skin. The larvae penetrate the skin after contact with infected soil and cause a typical creeping eruption. Patients with cutaneous larva migrans seen in Europe have usually acquired the disease following a stay in a tropical or sub-tropical area. How­ever, some cases of cutaneous larval migrans are acquired in Europe. We report here 5 autochthonous cases in France and give an overview of European autochthonous cases.

Cutaneous larva migrans is a dermatitis acquired in warm tropical and sub-tropical countries caused by the skin migration of larvae of animal nematodes. However some patients may present a cutaneous larva migrans acquired locally in Europe. We report herein 5 autochthonous cases in France and give an overview of the European autochthonous cases published over a period of 25 years.