Rare Case of Human Visceral Linguatuliasis in Bulgaria Diagnosed on Biopsy Specimen

We report a rare case of visceral linguatuliasis in a 9-year-old boy. The diagnosis was made incidentally on a biopsy specimen obtained during laparotomy on account of an acute appendicitis. An encysted parasite was found in a mesenteric lymph node and diagnosed as Linguatula serrata larva mainly based on its typical appearance. The vermiform appendix showed only lymphoid hyperplasia and no features of inflammation. The patient made an uneventful recovery after the operation and was discharged. He is being followed up. To our knowledge this is the first officially reported case of human linguatuliasis in Bulgaria.