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IDCases 2022In 1936, Löeffler first recognized the association between a distinctive form of severe heart failure and marked eosinophilia. Most cases are caused by either parasitic...
In 1936, Löeffler first recognized the association between a distinctive form of severe heart failure and marked eosinophilia. Most cases are caused by either parasitic infections or drugs; however, no cause has been identified in one-third of the patients [1]. This report presents a rare case of Löeffler's syndrome caused by the parasite Paragonimus westermani.
PubMed: 35127453
DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01427 -
International Journal of Infectious... Aug 2023
Topics: Animals; Humans; Paragonimus westermani; Mediastinal Cyst; Paragonimiasis
PubMed: 37150353
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.05.001 -
QJM : Monthly Journal of the... Jun 2023
Topics: Humans; Paragonimiasis
PubMed: 36633295
DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcad006 -
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 -
Journal of Parasitic Diseases :... Sep 2021Paragonimiasis, the disease caused by , is transmitted primarily by freshwater crabs in the Philippines. Human infection has been recorded, but there is a dearth of...
Paragonimiasis, the disease caused by , is transmitted primarily by freshwater crabs in the Philippines. Human infection has been recorded, but there is a dearth of published information on the extent of infection in animal reservoirs, particularly in crabs and snails. This study aimed to investigate the infection status and risk factors of in freshwater crabs and melaniid snails collected in an endemic village along Cadacan River in Irosin, Sorsogon, where human cases of paragonimiasis were previously reported. A total of 246 freshwater crabs (118 females, 128 males) were dissected, and the gills, muscles, gonads, and viscera were examined for the presence of metacercariae; of which, 41.87% were found infected. The metacercariae were recovered from the gills (100%) and muscle tissues (7.3%) of infected crabs. Male crabs were more likely to be infected (49.22%) than female crabs (33.90%) ( < 0.05). Moreover, 70.87% of crabs showed low parasite intensity levels at ≤ 30 metacercariae/g tissue. A negative weak correlation was observed between parasite intensity and crab weight and carapace length, i.e., highly infected crabs were found to be smaller in size. Meanwhile, only 12% of the 150 melaniid snails collected were positive with cercariae with and as the most infected species. Household survey conducted revealed that some knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the locals contribute to the sustained transmission of the parasite in this endemic area. These findings revealed that is still prevalent among intermediate hosts and that some social and environmental factors contributed to the sustained parasite transmission in this endemic community.
PubMed: 34475643
DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01340-3 -
Pathology International Aug 2023
Topics: Animals; Humans; Paragonimus westermani; Brachyura; Soy Foods; Trematoda; Fresh Water
PubMed: 37493110
DOI: 10.1111/pin.13352 -
Handbook of Clinical Neurology 2013Human paragonimiasis is caused by nine species of Paragonimus, namely, P. westermani, P. africanus, P. heterotremus, P. kellicotti, P. mexicanus, P. siamensis, P.... (Review)
Review
Human paragonimiasis is caused by nine species of Paragonimus, namely, P. westermani, P. africanus, P. heterotremus, P. kellicotti, P. mexicanus, P. siamensis, P. skrjabini, P. skrjabini miyazakii, and P. uterobilateralis. Cerebral or spinal involvements are most common in P. westermani, and can also occur in P. skrjabini, P. skrjabini miyazakii, and P. mexicanus. In P. westermani, cerebral paragonimiasis comprises about 45% of all extrapulmonary paragonimiasis cases, and accounts for about 1% of all paragonimiasis patients. In cerebral paragonimiasis, seizure, headache, visual disturbance, and motor and sensory disturbances are the five major clinical symptoms. The most commonly performed diagnostic procedures for cerebral infections are serological tests to detect circulating antibodies or antigens using ELISA or immunoblotting, and radiological examinations, including plain skull x-rays, brain CT, and MR scans. The drug of choice is praziquantel at the dose of 25mg/kg three times daily for 2-3 days. In severe infections, a second set of treatment may be needed. Triclabendazole can be used in P. uterobilateralis, P. mexicanus, and P. skrjabini infections with the dose of 10mg/kg twice a day; however, its efficacy in P. westermani infection, in particular cerebral infections, remains to be elucidated.
Topics: Animals; Central Nervous System Parasitic Infections; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Trematoda
PubMed: 23829919
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53490-3.00023-6 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Jul 2023Paragonimiasis is an important but neglected foodborne trematodiasis caused by Paragonimus mexicanus in Costa Rica. Immunological techniques for diagnosing this...
Paragonimiasis is an important but neglected foodborne trematodiasis caused by Paragonimus mexicanus in Costa Rica. Immunological techniques for diagnosing this parasitosis in humans do not exist in Central America. The objective of the present study was to use recombinant Paragonimus westermani cysteine protease 7 to standardize an ELISA for the detection of antibodies against Paragonimus spp. Human sera positive for P. westermani, P. mexicanus, or Paragonimus spp., human sera infected with other helminths, as well as sera of healthy humans without parasitic infections, were analyzed. The sensitivity of the ELISA was 92.9%, and the specificity was 91.9%. This report is the first to describe the development of an ELISA for the diagnosis of Paragonimus spp. in Costa Rica and Central America. Using this ELISA in the health system of Costa Rica is recommended to detect infections.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Cysteine Proteases; Paragonimus; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Costa Rica
PubMed: 37253437
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0452 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Nov 2023
Topics: Humans; Animals; Paragonimiasis; Pleural Effusion; Paragonimus
PubMed: 37549895
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0301 -
The Korean Journal of Parasitology Dec 2013Paragonimiasis is a food-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by infection with lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. In Vietnam, research on Paragonimus and paragonimiasis... (Review)
Review
Paragonimiasis is a food-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by infection with lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. In Vietnam, research on Paragonimus and paragonimiasis has been conducted in northern and central regions of the country. Using a combination of morphological and molecular methods, 7 Paragonimus species, namely P. heterotremus, P. westermani, P. skrjabini, P. vietnamensis, P. proliferus, P. bangkokenis and P. harinasutai, have been identified in Vietnam. Of these, the first 3, P. heterotremus, P. westermani and P. skrjabini, are known to infect humans in other countries. However, in Vietnam, only P. heterotremus, found in some northern provinces, has been shown to infect humans. Even nowadays, local people in some northern provinces, such as Lai Chau and Yen Bai, are still suffering from P. heterotremus infection. In some provinces of central Vietnam, the prevalence and infection intensity of P. westermani metacercariae in freshwater crabs (the second intermediate hosts) are extremely high, but human cases have not been reported. Likewise, although P. skrjabini was found in Thanh Hoa Province, its pathogenicity to humans in Vietnam still remains uncertain. The results of molecular phylogenetic analyses of Vietnamese Paragonimus species provides new insights on the phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Paragonimus. Comprehensive molecular epidemiological and geobiological studies on the genus in Vietnam and adjacent countries are needed to clarify the biodiversity and public health significance of the lung flukes.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Shellfish; Vietnam
PubMed: 24516264
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2013.51.6.621