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Baylisascaris Procyonis (Raccoon Ascarid), Diffuse Unilateral Subacute Neuroretinitis

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Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology

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Synonyms

DUSN

Definition

Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN), previously known as “unilateral wipeout syndrome,” was first termed by J. Donald M. Gass in 1978 (Gass and Scelfo 1978). The syndrome refers to a unilateral, potentially blinding, inflammatory disease characterized by mild to severe vitritis, deep white retinal lesions, marked diffuse retinal pigment epithelium changes, and eventual optic atrophy in the late stages, caused by a parasitic infection (Arevalo et al. 2013).

Etiology

Nematodes of varying sizes have been reported in association with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis. Although no nematodes have ever been identified, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as the “Raccoon roundworm,” is thought to be the larger-sized nematode (1,500–2,000 μm) often isolated in north Midwestern United States, and Ancylostoma caninum is thought to be the smaller-sized (400–700 μm) nematode often isolated in Southeastern United States.

Clinical Features

The diagnosis...

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References

  • Arevalo JF, Garcia RA, Tata LS et al (2013) Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis. In: Arevalo JF (ed) Retinal and choroidal manifestations of selected systemic diseases. Springer, New York, pp 23–35

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  • Garcia CA, Gomes AH, Garcia Filho CA et al (2004) Early-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis: improvement of vision after photocoagulation of the worm. Eye 18:624–627

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  • Gass JDM, Olsen KR (2001) Diffuse unilateral sub acute neuroretinitis. In: Ryan SJ, Schachat AP (eds) Retina, 3rd edn. CV Mosby, St. Louis, pp 1669–1678

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  • Gass JD, Scelfo R (1978) Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis. J R Soc Med 71:95–111

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  • Sabrosa NA, de Souza EC (2001) Nematode infections of the eye: toxocariasis and diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis. Curr Opin Ophthalmol 12:450–454

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Vitreous-Retina-Macula Consultants of New York and LuEsther T. Mertz Retinal Research Centre, Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital, 460 Park Avenue, Fifth Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA

    Claudine E. Pang

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 10022, USA

    Lawrence A. Yannuzzi

Authors
  1. Claudine E. Pang
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  2. Lawrence A. Yannuzzi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudine E. Pang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Medical University of Wien Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Wien, Austria

    Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main Department of Ophthalmology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Pang, C.E., Yannuzzi, L.A. (2015). Baylisascaris Procyonis (Raccoon Ascarid), Diffuse Unilateral Subacute Neuroretinitis. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1088-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1088-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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