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Acta Tropica Dec 2019Paragonimus westermani (P. westermani) is widely spread in Asian countries and is one of the most important causative agents for lung fluke diseases. The prevention and...
Paragonimus westermani (P. westermani) is widely spread in Asian countries and is one of the most important causative agents for lung fluke diseases. The prevention and control of Paragonimiaisis mainly depends on the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. In this study, we developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeted to a portion of the Ty3/gypsy-like LTR retrotransposon (Rn1) sequence coupled with a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) for the rapid detection of P. westermani-specific amplicons. The positive LAMP products were biotin-labeled and hybridized with a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled probe which could be visually detected by LFD. No cross-reaction were observed with other parasitic pathogens including Trichinella spiralis, Anisakis simplex, Schistosoma japonicum and Gnathostoma spinigerum, but this LAMP assay could not distinguish P. westermani with Paragonimus skrjabini and Paragonimus heterotremus. The detection limit of the LAMP assay for P. westermani was 2.7 fg/µL, while that of PCR method was 27 fg/µL. LAMP method was applied to detect P. westermani genomic DNA in blood samples form experimental infected dogs, and results showed the parasite was detectable as early as week 2. LAMP-LFD assay applicability was successfully tested in dog blood samples collected from five cities (Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing and Shaoxing) in Zhejiang province. In summary, the established LAMP-LFD assay targeted to the Rn1 sequence is a rapid and convenient method for specific detection of P. westermani.
Topics: Animals; China; DNA Primers; Dogs; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 31542373
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105185 -
Parasitology Research Oct 2019Accurate discrimination of the Schistosoma japonicum cercariae gender is very important for establishing monosexual infection animal models and for standardizing the...
Accurate discrimination of the Schistosoma japonicum cercariae gender is very important for establishing monosexual infection animal models and for standardizing the real intensity of infection. In this study, a multiplex PCR technique consisting of two pairs of primers, of which one amplifies a 185-bp band specific for the W chromosome and the other amplifies a 420-bp band for the Z chromosome, was established to sex the S. japonicum cercariae. For male cercariae (ZZ), a single 420-bp band is expected, and for female cercariea (ZW), two distinct 185-bp and 420-bp bands can be observed. There was no cross-reaction with S. mansoni, S. haematobium, Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, and Trichinella spiralis. After sexing the cercariae escaped from a single snail, mice in group A were infected with 60 male cercariae and mice of group B were infected with 40 female cercariae. Meanwhile, mice in group C were infected with 10 male and 10 female cercariae that were sexed by multiplex PCR. At 45 days postinfection, male and female adult worms were recovered to verify the accuracy of multiplex PCR for sexing S. japonicum cercariae and to calculate the male and female survival rate and paired worm ratio. Our results showed that the multiplex PCR technique could distinguish male cercariae with 100% accuracy. However, sometimes the discrimination results of multiplex PCR mis-scored mixed sexual cercariae as female cercariae. The mean male adult worm burden in mice of group C was 10.7 ± 2.4, and the mean female adult worm burden was 7.7 ± 2.5. There was a significant difference between the male worm burden and female worm burden in group C. The P value was 0.013. The real paired worm ratio of group C was 74.2% (95%CI 56.6~91.8%). These results demonstrated a male-biased sex ratio in the mice model with equilibrated sex ratio cercariae infection, as predicted by our multiplex PCR technique. In conclusion, our multiplex PCR technique is an effective tool for sexing S. japonicum cercariae, especially for distinguishing male cercariae, which is of great value for establishing monosexual cercariae infection mice models to harvest male adult worms for anti-schistosomal drug screening.
Topics: Animals; Cercaria; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Male; Mice; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Schistosoma japonicum; Sex Characteristics; Snails
PubMed: 31448385
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06431-6 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2019Digenetic trematodes infecting humans are more than 91 species which belong to 46 genera all over the world. According to their habitat in definitive hosts, they are...
Digenetic trematodes infecting humans are more than 91 species which belong to 46 genera all over the world. According to their habitat in definitive hosts, they are classified as blood flukes (Schistosoma japonicum. S. mekongi, S. mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. intercalatum), liver flukes (Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini, O. felineus, Metorchis conjunctus, M. bilis, M. orientalis, Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, and D. hospes), lung flukes (Paragonimus westermani, P. heterotremus, P. skrjabini, P. miyazakii, P. kellicoti, P. mexicanus, P. africanus, and P. uterobilateralis), throat fluke (Clinostomum complanatum), pancreatic fluke (Eurytrema pancreaticum), and intestinal flukes (Metagonimus yokogawai, M. miyatai, M. takahashii, Heterophyes nocens, H. heterophyes, Haplorchis taichui, H. pumilio, H. yokogawai, Centrocestus formosanus, Echinostoma revolutum, E. ilocanum, Isthmiophora hortensis, Echinochasmus japonicus, E. lilliputanus, Artyfechinostomum malayanum, A. sufrartyfex, A. oraoni, Fasciolopsis buski, Gymnophalloides seoi, Neodiplostomum seoulense, Caprimolgorchis molenkampi, Phaneropsolus bonnei, and Plagiorchis muris). The mode of transmission to humans includes contact with cercariae contaminated in water (schistosomes) and ingestion of raw or improperly cooked fish (liver and throat flukes, heterophyids, and echinostomes), snails (echinostomes and gymnophallids), amphibia, reptiles (neodiplostomes), aquatic vegetables (amphistomes), or insect larvae or adults (plagiorchiids, lecithodendriids, and pancreatic fluke). Praziquantel has been proved to be highly effective against most species of trematode infections except fascioliasis. Epidemiological surveys and detection of human infections are required for better understanding of the geographical distribution and endemicity of each trematode species.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Trematoda; Trematode Infections
PubMed: 31297768
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-18616-6_12 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2019Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic disease caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Humans usually become infected by eating freshwater crabs or crayfish containing...
Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic disease caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Humans usually become infected by eating freshwater crabs or crayfish containing encysted metacercariae of these worms. However, an alternative route of infection exists: ingestion of raw meat from a mammalian paratenic host. Adult worms normally occur in pairs in cysts in the lungs from which they void their eggs via air passages. The pulmonary form is typical in cases of human infection due to P. westermani, P. heterotremus, and a few other species (Table 5.1). Worms may occupy other sites in the body, notably the brain, but lung flukes have made their presence felt in almost every organ. Ectopic paragonimiasis is particularly common when infection is due to members of the P. skrjabini complex (Table 5.1). Human paragonimiasis occurs primarily in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with different species being responsible in different areas (Table 5.1).
Topics: Africa; Americas; Animals; Asia; Brachyura; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Tropical Climate; Zoonoses
PubMed: 31297761
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-18616-6_5 -
Acta Tropica Nov 2019Paragonimiasis, or lung fluke disease, is a typical food-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by infection with trematodes belonging to the genus Paragonimus. More than 50... (Review)
Review
Paragonimiasis, or lung fluke disease, is a typical food-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by infection with trematodes belonging to the genus Paragonimus. More than 50 species of Paragonimus have been reported throughout the world, of which seven valid species infect humans, an estimated one million people annually worldwide. Among the seven species, P. westermani, P. heterotremus, and P. skrjabini/P. s. miyazakii, distributed in Asia, are the most important species as the cause of paragonimiasis. Humans acquire infection through the ingestion of raw, pickled or undercooked freshwater crustaceans, 2nd intermediate hosts, or consuming raw meat of wild boar or deer, paratenic hosts. Infections often occur clustered in foci where dietary habits allow transmission of the parasites. Paragonimiasis typically causes a subacute to chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs. The symptoms, including chronic cough, chest pain, dyspnea and hemoptysis, mimic those of tuberculosis and lung cancer. Serologic tests are commonly used for the diagnosis of paragonimiasis, and Praziquantel is the treatment of choice. In this review, the current status of Paragonimus and paragonimiasis in Asia is outlined based on the latest information and findings. We also summarize current trends of paragonimiasis in Japan, which is one of the most endemic area of paragonimiasis in the world, for the better understanding and control of paragonimiasis.
Topics: Animals; Asia; Disease Vectors; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Praziquantel
PubMed: 31295431
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105074 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Jul 2019Pleural parasitic infestation (PPI) is a disease prevalent in certain parts of the world. It is frequently misdiagnosed due to its lack of standardized diagnostic...
BACKGROUND
Pleural parasitic infestation (PPI) is a disease prevalent in certain parts of the world. It is frequently misdiagnosed due to its lack of standardized diagnostic criteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of PPI patients and develop a practical diagnostic approach for PPI.
METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of 11 patients with PPI. A practical diagnostic approach was proposed based on the unique laboratory findings.
RESULTS
All patients demonstrated respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, cough, fever, chest pain, excessive sputum and hemoptysis. Leukocytosis (> 10,000/μL) and eosinophilia (> 500/μL) of peripheral blood were present in 45.5 and 36.4% patients, respectively. The mean concentrations of pleural effusion lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), adenosine deaminase (ADA), protein and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were 338.2 U/L (range, 61-667 U/L), 11.6 U/L (range, 0.1-28.2 U/L), 43.7 g/dL (range, 21.9-88.1 g/dL), and 1.84 mg/mL (range, 0.28-4.8 mg/mL), respectively. The mean percentage of eosinophils in the pleural effusion was 19.5% (10.5-41%). Blood test was positive for parasite-specific IgG antibody in 9 patients, including 4 for Paragonimus westermani, 3 for Taenia solium, 1 for Clonorchis sinensis and 1 for Echinococcus granulosus. Eggs of Clonorchis sinensis were detected in the stool of two patients. Sparganum was found in the pleural effusion of one patient. Respiratory symptoms and abnormal appearances in pulmonary radiographic examination were disappeared in all patients who received anti-parasitic treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
In patients with unexplained pleural effusion, parasite-specific IgG antibody tests should be performed when pleural fluid testing shows eosinophilic pleural effusion. It is preferable to consider the diagnosis of PPI in clinical practice when serum parasite-specific IgG antibody test is positive.
Topics: Aged; Chest Pain; Cough; Eosinophils; Female; Fever; Hemoptysis; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Male; Middle Aged; Parasitic Diseases; Pleural Effusion; Retrospective Studies; Sputum
PubMed: 31272486
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4179-9 -
PeerJ 2019We present the complete mitochondrial genome of Miyazaki, 1939 and compare its features with those of previously reported mitochondrial genomes of the pathogenic...
We present the complete mitochondrial genome of Miyazaki, 1939 and compare its features with those of previously reported mitochondrial genomes of the pathogenic lung-fluke, , and other members of the genus. The circular mitochondrial DNA molecule of the single fully sequenced individual of was 14,818 bp in length, containing 12 protein-coding, two ribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNA genes. As is common among trematodes, an gene was absent from the mitogenome of and the 5' end of overlapped with the 3' end of by 40 bp and four forms/strains of from South Korea and India, exhibited remarkably different base compositions and hence codon usage in protein-coding genes. In the fully sequenced individual, the non-coding region started with two long identical repeats (292 bp each), separated by . These were followed by an array of six short tandem repeats (STR), 117 bp each. Numbers of the short tandem repeats varied among individuals. A phylogenetic tree inferred from concatenated mitochondrial protein sequences of 50 strains encompassing 42 species of trematodes belonging to 14 families identified a monophyletic Paragonimidae in the class Trematoda. Characterization of additional mitogenomes in the genus will be useful for biomedical studies and development of molecular tools and mitochondrial markers for diagnostic, identification, hybridization and phylogenetic/epidemiological/evolutionary studies.
PubMed: 31259095
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7031 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Apr 2019To analyze the clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics of pulmonary and extra pulmonary paragonimiasis westermani.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics of pulmonary and extra pulmonary paragonimiasis westermani.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis was performed of 30 patients diagnosed by clinical features, laboratory serological tests and surgical pathology.
RESULTS
The symptoms of the lung included mainly chest distress, fever, chest pain, cough and expectoration, and dyspnea. The extra pulmonary symptoms included abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite, emaciation, both lower extremities asthenia, headache, dizziness, epileptic seizures, and subcutaneous migratory masses. The laboratory examination showed that the eosinophil numbers of serum and pleural effusion of all the thirty patients were increased, and the eggs of were found by the stool tests in four cases. The chest CT tests found abnormal nodules, ground glass changes, insect damages, pleural effusion, "tunnel" signs, and "halo" signs. Cranial CT and MRI showed intracranial hemorrhage foci, and extensive "finger-like" edema. Abdominal CT showed serpentine deformation and "tunnel" signs in the hepatic and spleen capsules.
CONCLUSIONS
Paragonimiasis westermani is a multiple organ system involved infection, and it has complex and varied clinical manifestations. The "tunnel" sign and serpentine deformations in the intracranial part, lung, liver and spleen are important imaging manifestations of the disease.
Topics: Animals; Feces; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Pleural Effusion; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 31184058
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2017244 -
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 2019The genetic information of ancient Paragonimus westermani, the oriental lung fluke infecting over 20 million people worldwide, has not been thoroughly investigated thus...
The genetic information of ancient Paragonimus westermani, the oriental lung fluke infecting over 20 million people worldwide, has not been thoroughly investigated thus far. We analysed genetic markers (COI and ITS2) of P. westermani from coprolite specimens (n = 6) obtained from 15th to 18th century Korean mummies. Our results indicated that all P. westermani sequences were generally distinct from the other species of the genus Paragonimus. The sequences were clustered into three groups: Group I for East Asia; Group II for South and Southeast Asia; and Group III for India and Sri Lanka. In this study, we found that ancient P. westermani sequences in Korea belong to Group I, adding invaluable information to the existing knowledge of Paragonimus paleogenetics.
Topics: Animals; Asia; DNA, Helminth; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; Electron Transport Complex IV; Feces; Humans; Mummies; Paleodontology; Paragonimus westermani; Parasite Egg Count; Phylogeny
PubMed: 31116227
DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760180595 -
The Medical Journal of Australia May 2019
Topics: Adult; Animals; Anthelmintics; Australia; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Male; Myanmar; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Praziquantel; Radiography, Thoracic; Refugees; Sputum; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tuberculosis
PubMed: 30968416
DOI: 10.5694/mja2.50133