A 30-Year-Old Wo man with Headache and Dysesthesia

This clinical case details a 30-year-old woman who presented with progressive dysesthesia and headache following international travel to Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. Her condition evolved to include confusion and eosinophilic meningitis. Laboratory and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed elevated white cell counts with eosinophils, low glucose, and high protein. After extensive differential diagnosis, nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) confirmed infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as rat lungworm. The patient was successfully treated with prednisone and albendazole. This case emphasizes the diagnostic complexity of eosinophilic meningitis in returning travelers and the importance of advanced molecular diagnostics.

This clinical case details a 30-year-old woman who presented with progressive dysesthesia and headache following international travel to Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. Her condition evolved to include confusion and eosinophilic meningitis. Laboratory and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed elevated white cell counts with eosinophils, low glucose, and high protein. After extensive differential diagnosis, nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) confirmed infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as rat lungworm. The patient was successfully treated with prednisone and albendazole. This case emphasizes the diagnostic complexity of eosinophilic meningitis in returning travelers and the importance of advanced molecular diagnostics.