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GigaScience Jul 2020Paragonimus spp. (lung flukes) are among the most injurious foodborne helminths, infecting ∼23 million people and subjecting ∼292 million to infection risk....
BACKGROUND
Paragonimus spp. (lung flukes) are among the most injurious foodborne helminths, infecting ∼23 million people and subjecting ∼292 million to infection risk. Paragonimiasis is acquired from infected undercooked crustaceans and primarily affects the lungs but often causes lesions elsewhere including the brain. The disease is easily mistaken for tuberculosis owing to similar pulmonary symptoms, and accordingly, diagnostics are in demand.
RESULTS
We assembled, annotated, and compared draft genomes of 4 prevalent and distinct Paragonimus species: Paragonimus miyazakii, Paragonimus westermani, Paragonimus kellicotti, and Paragonimus heterotremus. Genomes ranged from 697 to 923 Mb, included 12,072-12,853 genes, and were 71.6-90.1% complete according to BUSCO. Orthologous group analysis spanning 21 species (lung, liver, and blood flukes, additional platyhelminths, and hosts) provided insights into lung fluke biology. We identified 256 lung fluke-specific and conserved orthologous groups with consistent transcriptional adult-stage Paragonimus expression profiles and enriched for iron acquisition, immune modulation, and other parasite functions. Previously identified Paragonimus diagnostic antigens were matched to genes, providing an opportunity to optimize and ensure pan-Paragonimus reactivity for diagnostic assays.
CONCLUSIONS
This report provides advances in molecular understanding of Paragonimus and underpins future studies into the biology, evolution, and pathogenesis of Paragonimus and related foodborne flukes. We anticipate that these novel genomic and transcriptomic resources will be invaluable for future lung fluke research.
Topics: Animals; Computational Biology; Disease Susceptibility; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Ontology; Genomics; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Multigene Family; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Phylogeny; Transcriptome
PubMed: 32687148
DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giaa073 -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Mar 2021Paragonimiasis is a particular foodborne parasitic disease that is endemic to southern Kyushu, including Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. We previously detected Paragonimus...
Paragonimiasis is a particular foodborne parasitic disease that is endemic to southern Kyushu, including Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. We previously detected Paragonimus westermani triploid larvae in meat samples obtained from wild boars and sika deer hunted in Akune City, Kagoshima Prefecture. These mammals act as paratenic hosts and their meat is a source of human paragonimiasis. Paratenic host mammals and humans become infected with the lung fluke, P. westermani, following consumption of second intermediate hosts, freshwater crab species, namely, Geothelphusa dehaani or Sawagani in Japanese, and Eriocheir japonica or Mokuzugani in Japanese. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the current infection status of P. westermani in freshwater crabs in Akune City. We collected freshwater crabs from 15 locations and found that the prevalence of P. westermani metacercariae was 1.6% for Sawagani (15 of 941 examined) and 22.1% for Mokuzugani (21 of 95 examined). Based on the morphological characterization of metacercariae and molecular analyses of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region and mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene region using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing, all metacercariae were identified as the triploid form of P. westermani. These results indicate that Sawagani and Mokuzugani serve as second intermediate hosts to maintain the life cycle of triploid P. westermani. Further, infection in crabs potentially leads to subsequent P. westermani infections in wild mammals, including wild boars and sika deer, both of which are considered important types of game meat in Japan.
Topics: Animals; Brachyura; Deer; Fresh Water; Japan; Metacercariae; Paragonimus; Paragonimus westermani; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sus scrofa; Swine
PubMed: 33473059
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.20-0576 -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Mar 2022Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic trematode infection caused by Paragonimus spp. To determine the recent status of Paragonimus infections in wild animals, this study...
Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic trematode infection caused by Paragonimus spp. To determine the recent status of Paragonimus infections in wild animals, this study investigated Paragonimus spp. in 39 raccoon dogs and 54 Japanese badgers from March 2019 to January 2021 in Miyazaki Prefecture, and examined metacercariae in freshwater crabs. Triploid P. westermani was found in one raccoon dog (2.6%), and metacercariae were recovered from Eriocheir japonica captured near the infected animal collected. One Japanese badger (1.9%) harbored P. skrjabini miyazakii; this prevalence was lower than the approximately 30% that was reported in the 1970s. Results indicated that zoonotic Paragonimus was sporadically prevalent in wild animals. Further investigation in various animals is awaited to elucidate current wildlife reservoirs for those Paragonimus.
Topics: Animals; Japan; Mustelidae; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Raccoon Dogs
PubMed: 35110459
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.21-0573 -
QJM : Monthly Journal of the... Jun 2023
Topics: Humans; Paragonimiasis
PubMed: 36633295
DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcad006 -
Vaccines Jul 2021For epidemiological studies of infectious diseases, pathogen-specific antibody levels in an area give us essential and appropriate information. The antibodies against... (Review)
Review
For epidemiological studies of infectious diseases, pathogen-specific antibody levels in an area give us essential and appropriate information. The antibodies against pathogens are usually detected in blood, the drawing of which inconveniences people. Collection of blood increases the risk of accidental infections through blood, and it is difficult to obtain the participation of the target populations, especially the younger generation. On the other hand, urine samples, which contain a high enough level of antibodies for ELISA, can be harmlessly and easily collected and therefore have been used for epidemiological studies for diseases. The antibody examination of urine has been used for the epidemiology of parasitic diseases with a high sensitivity and specificity of serum samples. In this paper, we reviewed antibody assays with urine for seven parasitic diseases that urine diagnostic methods have reported in the past, and these are important infections included in NTDs, caused, for example, by , , , , , , , and . The easy and safe urine surveillance system might be an admirable tool for future epidemiological studies for infectious diseases.
PubMed: 34358194
DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070778 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022This study performed a follow-up investigation of parasitic infections and the evolution of the infection spectra in Shanghai and its surrounding areas in Eastern China....
BACKGROUND
This study performed a follow-up investigation of parasitic infections and the evolution of the infection spectra in Shanghai and its surrounding areas in Eastern China. The current study was conducted in the Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, a tertiary hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
METHODS
This retrospective investigation reviewed a total of 412 parasitic infections in patients admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Ruijin Hospital from January 1, 2010 to July 31, 2022. Detailed information for these patients was retrieved from the Electronic Medical Record System. Analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 5.0 and SPSS Statistics 26.
RESULTS
Overall, 17 species of parasites were detected from the 412 admissions. Over the 13 years, the number of patients peaked in 2021 and food-born parasites (FBPs) were the primary species. During the most recent 5 years, , replacing , has become the primary parasite detected among the patients, consistent with the observation that eating uncooked fish has turned into the most common route of transmission. infections declined with age, but increased with age. The periods from the onset of symptoms to definite diagnosis for some patients infected with , and were more than 6 months. Interestingly, eosinophilia was only detected in 51.83% of parasite-infected patients. In addition, superinfections of parasites were common in our study.
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrates the transitional change in the prevalence of parasitic infection over the latest 13 years in a single center in Eastern China. The incidence of parasitic infections peaked in 2021, and the dominant parasitic species switched from a soil origin to foodborne. The direction for the diagnosis and prevention of parasitic infection among different age groups should alter according to age. It is difficult to diagnose parasitic infections and superinfections that occur in some patients. Thus, more sensitive and efficient detection methods should be developed. In addition, although eosinophilia and elevated IgE are still reliable indicators for initiating screening of parasitic infection, the development of novel parasitic diagnostic kits is still in urgent need for occult infection.
Topics: Animals; China; Eosinophilia; Immunoglobulin E; Parasitic Diseases; Retrospective Studies; Soil; Superinfection; Tertiary Care Centers
PubMed: 36249238
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.993377 -
Acta Tropica Mar 2020Paragonimiasis, an important food-borne zoonosis, is caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Several million people are actually infected or at risk....
Paragonimiasis, an important food-borne zoonosis, is caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Several million people are actually infected or at risk. Paragonimiasis is a re-emerging disease in developing countries. Diagnosis of pulmonary paragonimiasis is made by finding eggs in sputa and/or fecal samples. Eggs are typically not found in ectopic paragonimiasis cases, so diagnosis depends on supportive information, such as a history of eating fresh water crabs or crayfishes, radiographic findings and immunological tests. Here, a new point-of-care-testing (POCT) tool is presented. It uses immunochromatography for serodiagnosis of human paragonimiasis using excretory-secretory antigen from Paragonimus heterotremus. It proved effective in diagnosing infections due to P. heterotremus, and was also successfully diagnosed with sera from infections with P. westermani and P. miyazakii. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy were 97.9%, 87.6%, 78%, 98.9%, and 90.8%, respectively. The developed POCT tool is rapid and simple to use not only for clinical diagnosis of paragonimiasis at the bedside or at well-equipped laboratories, but also at local and remote hospitals with limited facilities. Moreover, the POCT tool could be applied for epidemiological surveys of paragonimaisis in Asia where P. heterotremus, P. westermani and P. miyazakii are endemic.
Topics: Animals; Chromatography, Affinity; Gerbillinae; Humans; Male; Paragonimiasis; Point-of-Care Testing; Serologic Tests
PubMed: 31891708
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105325 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Jan 2020To compare the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two phenotypes of isolated from Fujian Province with different sizes of metacercariae, and perform a...
OBJECTIVE
To compare the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two phenotypes of isolated from Fujian Province with different sizes of metacercariae, and perform a phylogenetic analysis of various geographical isolates of from Asia, so as to identify the possible genetic characteristics associated with the phenotypes.
METHODS
metacercariae with different sizes (large metacercariae, 380-420 μm in diameter; small metacercariae, 320-340 μm) isolated from freshwater crabs were used to infect dogs, and the eggs and adult worms of were collected from the dog stool samples and lung tissues. Then, the egg size and morphology were compared. In addition, genomic DNA was extracted from the adult worms of the two phenotypes of and used for the PCR amplification to yield the complete mitochondrial genome sequence. Sequence structure and phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the complete mitochondrial genome of .
RESULTS
Following infection with large and small metacercariae, the adult worms recovered from the dog lung had a thick body, and had oral and ventral suckers. The ventral sucker was located slightly in front of the midline of the body, and testes, ovary and vitelline gland were seen in the adult worms. Following fixation, the adults appeared oval, with an approximately 1.7∶1 of the length-width ratio. The length and width of the eggs isolated from the fecal samples of dogs infected with large and small metacercariae varied significantly, and the large metacercariae produced bigger eggs than the smaller metacercariae. Based on the morphological features of adults and eggs and the sequences, both phenotypes were identified as . The complete mitochondrial genome sequence analysis of adults showed almost consistent sequences in the protein-coding region of the mitochondrial genome of adult worms derived from large and small metacercariae, with a major variation seen in the former non-coding region. Sliding window analysis revealed the most polymorphic region within the gene across the mitochondrial genome from various geographical isolates of , and phylogenetic analysis showed that both phenotypes were clustered into the Chinese branch of , which was close to the Japanese branch and distinct from the South/Southeast Asian branch.
CONCLUSIONS
The genetic distance between the phenotypes of isolated from Fujian Province is near at a mitochondrial genome level, with no remarkable genetic differentiation seen; however, the mutation and structural changes in the non-coding region may result in the phenotypic variations. In addition, there is a distinct variation of the evolutionary rate in the mitochondrial coding genes, suggesting the selection of appropriate molecular markers during the phylogenic researches.
Topics: Animals; Asia; China; DNA, Helminth; Dogs; Female; Genome, Mitochondrial; Paragonimus westermani; Phylogeny
PubMed: 32185925
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2019238 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Mar 2022Cerebral paragonimiasis (CP), caused by aberrant migration of Paragonimus worms, frequently invokes serious illness. The causal relationship between the lesion...
Cerebral paragonimiasis (CP), caused by aberrant migration of Paragonimus worms, frequently invokes serious illness. The causal relationship between the lesion characteristics and patients' symptoms has poorly been understood. CP serodiagnosis has not been properly evaluated to date. A total of 111 CP cases were diagnosed in our laboratory between 1982 and 2003. This study retrospectively assessed the clinical and imaging characteristics of the 105 patients along with the evaluation of diagnostic potentials of recombinant P. westermani yolk ferritin (rPwYF) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) employing patients' sera and cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs). We analyzed 60 male and 45 female patients; 50 early-stage patients with non-calcified enhancing nodule(s) (median age, 38 years; interquartile range [IQR], 24.75-52; median symptom duration, 0.75 years; IQR, 0.2-2) and 54 chronic cases having calcified lesion(s) (median age, 33 years; IQR, 25-41; median symptom duration, 10 years; IQR, 5-20). One patient showed a normal neuroimage. The patients were largely diagnosed in their 30s. The parietal lobe was most commonly affected, followed by occipital, frontal, and temporal lobes. Twenty-six patients had lesions encompassing ≥ two lobes. The patients complained mainly of seizures, headaches, hemiparesis, and focal neurologic deficits (P < 0.001). Seizures and visual defects were predominant in patients with calcified lesion(s) (P < 0.001). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of rPwYF against serum/CSF were 100%/97% and 97.2%/92.5%, respectively. The specific IgG antibody levels against rPwYF in sera and CSFs showed a positive correlation (r = 0.59). The clinical manifestations of the early-stage patients might be associated with cortical lesions or meningeal irritation, while those in the chronic stage were caused by conglomerated space-occupying lesions. rPwYF would be useful for the serodiagnosis of both early and chronic CP cases.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Helminth; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Ferritins; Humans; Male; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Retrospective Studies; Seizures; Serologic Tests
PubMed: 35294433
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010240 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Jun 2022The most common site of paragonimiasis is in the lungs. The migratory route passes through the duodenal wall, peritoneum, and diaphragm to the lungs; thus, the thoracic...
BACKGROUND
The most common site of paragonimiasis is in the lungs. The migratory route passes through the duodenal wall, peritoneum, and diaphragm to the lungs; thus, the thoracic cavity and central nervous system, as well as the liver, intestine, and abdominal cavity may be involved. Here, we present a case of intraperitoneal paragonimiasis without other organ involvement, mimicking tuberculous peritonitis.
CASE SUMMARY
A 57-year-old man presented with recurrent abdominal pain for 4 wk. Physical examination revealed tenderness in the right lower quadrant. Laboratory findings showed complete blood counts within the normal range without eosinophilia. Multiple reactive lymph nodes and diffuse peritoneal infiltration were noted on abdominal computed tomography (CT). There were no abnormalities on chest CT or colonoscopy. Intraoperative findings of diagnostic laparoscopy for the differential diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis and peritoneal carcinomatosis included multiple small whitish nodules and an abscess in the peritoneum. Pathological reports confirmed the presence of numerous eggs of (). A postoperative serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed positivity. Persistent and repetitive history-taking led him to retrospectively recall the consumption of freshwater crab. After 3 d of treatment with praziquantel (1800 mg; 25 mg/kg), he recovered from all symptoms.
CONCLUSION
In patients who require diagnostic laparoscopy for the differential diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis and peritoneal carcinomatosis, repetitive history-taking and preoperative serologic antibody tests against may be helpful in diagnosing intraperitoneal paragonimiasis without other organ involvement.
PubMed: 35812672
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i16.5359