Breast infection due to Dirofilaria repens: Report of two new Italian cases and revision of the literature

Two new cases of human dirofilariasis, occurred in women aged 46 and 52 years, respectively, both living in Lombardy (Northern Italy) are reported. Dirofilaria repens nematodes were localised in the breast in both cases. In one of them the parasite was accidentally extracted while the patient underwent a fine needle aspirate. The international literature records 30 cases of breast Dirofilariasis. Except in rare cases, the parasite was located subcutaneously in the breast, and nested in a nodule The clinical diagnoses were consistently wrong, the nodule being diagnosed as a suspected tumor of the breast.