Eosinophilic meningitis (EoM) is an acute disease that affects the central nervous system. It is primarily caused
by infection with the nematode
Angiostrongylus cantonensis
. This infection was previously restricted to certain
Asian countries and the Pacific Islands, but it was first reported in Brazil in 2007. Since then, intermediate and
definitive hosts infected with
A. cantonensis have been identified within the urban areas of many states in Brazil, including
those in the northern, northeastern, southeastern and southern regions. The goals of this review are to draw
the attention of the medical community and health centres to the emergence of EoM in Brazil, to compile information
about several aspects of the human infection and mode of transmission and to provide a short protocol of procedures
for the diagnosis of this disease.