Spinal gnathostomiasis resembling an intrinsic cord tumor/myelitis in a 4-year-old boy.

A 4-year-old boy presented with fever, myalgia followed by progressive quadriparesis and urinary retention. Spinal fluid from a lumbar puncture showed 42 WBC/microl with 100% lymphocytes, no RBC, a glucose of 54 mg/dl (blood glucose 107 mg/dl), and a protein of 39 mg/dl. The cerebrospinal fluid culture was negative. His white blood cell count was 10,860 cells/microl with a normal differential count. An MRI of the brain was negative. An MRI of the whole spine showed fusiform dilatation of the cervical cord from the cervicomedullary junction to the T4 level. The tentative diagnosis was acute hemorrhage of an intrinsic cord tumor versus acute myelitis. Intravenous dexamethasone was administered which resulted in a slight improvement in strength. One week later, he deteriorated precipitously and became flaccidly quadriplegic. Since the patient deteriorated rapidly and no definitive diagnosis was made, the patient underwent cervical cord biopsy. Intraoperatively, after the cervical cord had been opened, a living Gnathostoma spinigerum was found in the spinal cord parenchyma. The nematode was removed. Following the operation the patient was placed on albendazole 400 mg/d and metronidazole 250 mg three times per day for 3 weeks. He gradually improved over the next several weeks.