Dermatological Signs of Nasopharyngeal Linguatulosis (Halzoun, Marrara Syndrome) – The Possible Role of Major Basic Protein

Abstract

Two hours after ingestion of improperly cooked meat a German tourist in Tunisia showed coughing, hoarseness, dysphagia, anosmia, frontal headache and epistaxis. At the same time a papular non-itching exanthema developed. The nasal discharge contained nymphs of Linguatula serrata. Histological examination of the papules revealed tissue eosinophilia and ‘flame figures’. Nasopharyngeal and skin signs subsided spontaneously within 10 days. The possible role of major basic protein in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal linguatulosis is discussed.

Flame Figures in Bullous Pemphigoid

“…In rare instances flame figures have been reported in a number of conditions including eczema, prurigo, tinea infection, herpes gestationis [4], cutaneous mastocytoma [9], arthropod bite reactions [10], scabies [11], nasopharyn geal linguatulosis [12] and onchocerciasis [13]. The clinical, histological and immunofluorescence findings in this case confirm the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid and differenti ate the condition from eosinophilic cellulitis or other bullous diseases.…”

Nasopharyngeal linguatulosis or halzoun syndrome: clinical diagnosis and treatment

“…7 Few reports exist in the literature exploring Halzoun syndrome (Table 1). 1,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] In this paper, we explore the case of a Lebanese patient presenting with clinical symptoms of Halzoun syndrome, and discuss the diagnostic and curative aspects of the disease with a review of the literature.…”

An annotated catalogue of the tongue worms (Pentastomida) held in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

“…Sneezing out eggs obviously mediates the further spread of infection. This hypersensitive reaction to the parasite may be mediated by proteins (Buslau et al 1990) and can be treated with antihistamines. Nasopharyngeal linguatulosis is often referred to as Halzoun syndrome in the Middle East, since it typically manifests itself after religious festivals during which raw meat is traditionally consumed.…”