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CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1506201
Acute Transverse Myelitis Caused by Paragonimus Infection: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Provisionally accepted- 1School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- 2Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
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Acute transverse myelitis (ATM) is a rare but severe neurological disorder that can be triggered by infections, autoimmune conditions, or other factors. While the association between parasitic infections and ATM is uncommon, Paragonimus infection can cause significant neurological damage, posing a diagnostic challenge. We report the case of a 65-year-old male patient who developed acute limb weakness, sensory loss, and fever following abdominal pain. Initial diagnostic tests were inconclusive; however, advanced imaging and metagenomic sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid ultimately confirmed an Paragonimus infection. After treatment with praziquantel, the patient successfully regained substantial motor function. This case highlights the need to consider parasitic infections in endemic areas and demonstrates the critical role of advanced diagnostic tools, such as metagenomic sequencing, in achieving timely diagnosis and treatment, ultimately improving the patient's prognosis.
Keywords: Paragonimus heterotremus, Myelitis, Transverse, Metagenomics, Clinical features, diagnosis
Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 16 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wen, Chen, Xia, Sun and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yifan Zhang, Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.