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The Korean Journal of Parasitology Jun 2017An epidemiological study was performed to know the recent infection status of metacercariae (PwMc) in freshwater crayfish, , from 2 streams in Jeollanam-do, Republic of...
An epidemiological study was performed to know the recent infection status of metacercariae (PwMc) in freshwater crayfish, , from 2 streams in Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea. Crayfish were collected from creeks in Bogil-do (Island), Wando-gun, and in a creek near Daeheung Temple in Haenam-gun. The infection rate of crayfish with PwMc in Bogil-do was 89.8%, and the metacercarial burden was 37 PwMc per the infected crayfish. Crayfish in a creek near Daeheung Temple were larger and twice heavier than those in Bogil-do. Of them, 96.5% were infected with PwMc. An average of 140 metacercariae was found in the infected crayfish, almost quadruple to those of Bogil-do. There was a strong correlation between the number of PwMc and body weight of the crayfish. These results suggest that metacercariae are still prevalent in crayfish of the 2 regions in Jeollanam-do, Korea.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Body Weight; Fresh Water; Incidence; Metacercariae; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Republic of Korea
PubMed: 28719962
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2017.55.3.347 -
The Korean Journal of Parasitology Jun 2017Paragonimiasis is a parasitic disease caused by species. The primary site of infection is the lung, and extrapulmonary involvement is also reported. When infected with...
Paragonimiasis is a parasitic disease caused by species. The primary site of infection is the lung, and extrapulmonary involvement is also reported. When infected with , which is the dominant species in Korea, the central nervous system is frequently involved along with the liver, intestine, peritoneal cavity, retroperitoneum, and abdominal wall. Ectopic paragonimiasis raises diagnostic challenge since it is uncommon and may be confused with malignancy or other inflammatory diseases. Here, we report an ectopic paragonimiasis case initially presented with recurrent abdominal pain. The patient developed abdominal pain 3 times for the previous 3 years and the computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed fluid collection with wall enhancement. Recurrent diverticulitis was initially suspected and part of the ascending colon was resected. However, the specimen showed intact colon wall without evidence of diverticulitis and multiple parasite eggs and granulomas were found instead. The size of about 70 μm, the presence of an operculum and relatively thick egg shell suggested eggs of species. With appropriate exposure history and a positive antibody test, the definitive diagnosis was made as peritoneal paragonimiasis.
Topics: Abdominal Abscess; Abdominal Pain; Animals; Colonic Diseases; Diagnosis, Differential; Diverticulitis, Colonic; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Male; Middle Aged; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Parasite Egg Count; Recurrence
PubMed: 28719956
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2017.55.3.313 -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Aug 2017Infection of boar-hunting dogs with Paragonimus westermani was investigated in Western Japan. Blood and rectal feces were collected from 441 dogs in the three districts...
Infection of boar-hunting dogs with Paragonimus westermani was investigated in Western Japan. Blood and rectal feces were collected from 441 dogs in the three districts (205 in Kinki, 131 in Chugoku and 105 in Shikoku District). In a screening ELISA for serum antibody against P. westermani antigen, 195 dogs (44.2%) showed positive reaction. In the 195 dogs, 8 dogs were found excreting P. westermani eggs after molecular analysis of fecal eggs, and additional 7 were identified serologically for the parasite infection because of their stronger reactivity against P. westermani antigen than against antigens of other species of Paragonimus. A spatial analysis showed that all of the P. westermani infections were found in Kinki and Chugoku Districts. In this area, dogs' experience of being fed with raw boar meat showed high odds ratio (3.35) to the sero-positivity in the screening ELISA, and the frequency of such experiences was significantly higher in sero-positive dogs. While clear relationship was not obtained between predation of boars by dogs during hunting and their sero-positivity. Therefore, it is suggested that human activity of feeding with wild boar meat is the risk factor for P. westermani infection in boar-hunting dogs. Considering that hunting dogs could play as a major definitive host and maintain the present distribution of P. westermani in Western Japan, control measures for the infection in hunting dogs, such as prohibition of raw meat feeding and regular deworming, should be undertaken.
Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Japan; Meat; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Sus scrofa; Swine; Swine Diseases
PubMed: 28717056
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.17-0149 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry May 2017MF6p/FhHDM-1 is a small protein secreted by the parasitic flatworm (trematode) that belongs to a broad family of heme-binding proteins (MF6p/helminth defense molecules...
MF6p/FhHDM-1 is a small protein secreted by the parasitic flatworm (trematode) that belongs to a broad family of heme-binding proteins (MF6p/helminth defense molecules (HDMs)). MF6p/HDMs are of interest for understanding heme homeostasis in trematodes and as potential targets for the development of new flukicides. Moreover, interest in these molecules has also increased because of their immunomodulatory properties. Here we have extended our previous findings on the mechanism of MF6p/HDM-heme interactions and mapped the protein regions required for heme binding and for other biological functions. Our data revealed that MF6p/FhHDM-1 forms high-molecular-weight complexes when associated with heme and that these complexes are reorganized by a stacking procedure to form fibril-like and granular nanostructures. Furthermore, we showed that MF6p/FhHDM-1 is a transitory heme-binding protein as protein·heme complexes can be disrupted by contact with an apoprotein ( apomyoglobin) with higher affinity for heme. We also demonstrated that (i) the heme-binding region is located in the MF6p/FhHDM-1 C-terminal moiety, which also inhibits the peroxidase-like activity of heme, and (ii) MF6p/HDMs from other trematodes, such as and , also bind heme. Finally, we observed that the N-terminal, but not the C-terminal, moiety of MF6p/HDMs has a predicted structural analogy with cell-penetrating peptides and that both the entire protein and the peptide corresponding to the N-terminal moiety of MF6p/FhHDM-1 interact with cell membranes in hemin-preconditioned erythrocytes. Our findings suggest that MF6p/HDMs can transport heme in trematodes and thereby shield the parasite from the harmful effects of heme.
Topics: Animals; Carrier Proteins; Cattle; Fasciola hepatica; Helminth Proteins; Heme; Opisthorchis; Paragonimus westermani; Protein Domains
PubMed: 28348084
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M116.771675 -
Parasitology Research Mar 2017Soy sauce-marinated freshwater crabs (Eriocheir japonicus) are a source of human paragonimiasis. The viability of Paragonimus westermani metacercariae (PwMc) in...
Soy sauce-marinated freshwater crabs (Eriocheir japonicus) are a source of human paragonimiasis. The viability of Paragonimus westermani metacercariae (PwMc) in marinated crabs was investigated in an experimental setting. The PwMc collected from freshwater crayfish were inoculated into freshwater crabs, which were then frozen or marinated in soy sauce. All PwMc in the freshwater crabs were inactivated after freezing for 48 h at -20 °C and after freezing for 12 h at -40 °C. After marinating for 32 days, the survival rate of PwMc in 5% NaCl soy sauce was 50%, in 7.5% NaCl soy sauce it was 33.3%, and in 10.0% NaCl soy sauce it was 31.3%. When marinated for 64 days, all PwMc were inactivated in all experimental groups. These results revealed that freezing and soy sauce marination were detrimental to the survival of PwMc in freshwater crabs. Specifically, freezing crabs for more than 48 h or soaking them in soy sauce containing at least 5.0% NaCl for 64 days can inactivate PwMc. These results can inform the production of the traditional Korean soy sauce-marinated freshwater crabs known as gejang.
Topics: Animals; Food Contamination; Food Preservation; Food Preservatives; Fresh Water; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Shellfish; Sodium Chloride; Soy Foods
PubMed: 28127717
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-017-5380-7 -
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) 2016A 42-year-old woman presented with an intermittent fever and chest and back pain, and an abnormal chest shadow was detected. She was diagnosed with paragonimiasis caused...
A 42-year-old woman presented with an intermittent fever and chest and back pain, and an abnormal chest shadow was detected. She was diagnosed with paragonimiasis caused by Paragonimus westermani. Praziquantel therapy improved the abnormal chest shadow, but did not relieve her symptoms. She was also diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), and colchicine therapy resolved her symptoms. She subsequently developed arthralgia and morning stiffness in her hands. We also diagnosed the patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and corticosteroid and salazosulfapyridine therapy improved her symptoms. The existence of paragonimiasis complicated the diagnosis of FMF. The coexistence of FMF and RA is very rare, but does exist.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Adult; Animals; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Colchicine; Familial Mediterranean Fever; Female; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Praziquantel; Sulfasalazine
PubMed: 27725555
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.55.6999 -
Zhongguo Ji Sheng Chong Xue Yu Ji Sheng... Oct 2016To facilitate the identification of parasite eggs using computer technology, establish the automation-based applications, and propose an algorithm for egg classification.
OBJECTIVE
To facilitate the identification of parasite eggs using computer technology, establish the automation-based applications, and propose an algorithm for egg classification.
METHODS
Eggs of 11 parasites, Clonorchis sinensis, Taenia solium, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Spirometra mansoni, Diphyllobothrium latum, Ancylostoma duodenale, Schistosoma japonicum, Paragonimus westermani and Fasciolopsis buski, were selected and divided into two groups, the training group and the testing group, and were microphotographed. The eigenvalue was extracted using the VC++-based method. The eigenvalue database was constructed, and the training data set was tested with a variety of classification algorithms. The classifier was constructed using algorithm with the highest efficiency and an identification method was established by multi-feature fusion.
RESULTS
After removal of images with invalid values, the training group received 19 844 egg images, and the testing group, 3 721 images. Based on the 14 eigenvalues, there were significant differences in the size and color among the eggs of 11 parasite species. For example, the length, width, area and brightness of the smallest parasite egg of Clonorchis sinensis were 292.24 μm, 192.64 μm, 43 416.61 μm2 and 53.84, respectively, while those of the largest parasite egg of Fasciolopsis buski were 945.31 μm, 610.88 μm, 536 002.60 μm2 and 100.54, respectively. When using dynamic weights to construct the classifier, the discrimination rate on the training data set was 88.89%(17 641/19 844), and that on the verification data set was 91.83%(3 004/3 271), with an average modeling time of 0.01 s.
CONCLUSION
The algorithm for egg classification has been established, which pravides a basis for further study on its feasibility.
Topics: Animals; Parasite Egg Count
PubMed: 30130022
DOI: No ID Found -
Parasitology International Dec 2016Paragonimiasis is a typical food-borne parasitic disease, endemic in most parts of Asia, with sporadic case reports from American and African countries. The major source...
Paragonimiasis is a typical food-borne parasitic disease, endemic in most parts of Asia, with sporadic case reports from American and African countries. The major source of infection is undercooked freshwater crab or crayfish, though consumption of wild boar meat is also responsible for the infection in Japan, because wild boar is a paratenic host for Paragonimus westermani. Recently, living juveniles of P. westermani were isolated from muscle of a sika deer, Cervus nippon, in Japan, raising the possibility that venison has been another source of infection. In order to clarify the potential contribution of venison consumption to the occurrence of paragonimiasis, we analysed dietary histories of those paragonimiasis patients in whose diagnoses we were involved between 2001 and 2015. Among 380 patients, freshwater crab had been consumed by 208 patients, wild boar meat by 190, and wild deer meat by 76 patients before the onset of the disease. Overall contribution of wild deer meat was estimated to be 6.8% to 20.0%, although in Oita and Gifu Prefectures, where a substantial proportion of patients had consumed raw venison, the contribution of venison consumption was much higher (27.5 to 62.1% and 42.1 to 78.9% in Oita and Gifu Prefectures, respectively). We demonstrated P. westermani-specific antibodies in the sera of 4 out of 160 sika deer from Gifu Prefecture, strongly suggesting that these deer were infected with P. westermani.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Antigens, Protozoan; Deer; Foodborne Diseases; Japan; Muscle, Skeletal; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Red Meat
PubMed: 27644890
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.09.009 -
Parasites & Vectors Sep 2016Paragonimiasis is an important and widespread neglected tropical disease. Fifteen Paragonimus species are human pathogens, but two of these, Paragonimus westermani and...
BACKGROUND
Paragonimiasis is an important and widespread neglected tropical disease. Fifteen Paragonimus species are human pathogens, but two of these, Paragonimus westermani and P. skrjabini, are responsible for the bulk of human disease. Despite their medical and economic significance, there is limited information on the gene content and expression of Paragonimus lung flukes.
RESULTS
The transcriptomes of adult P. westermani and P. skrjabini were studied with deep sequencing technology. Approximately 30 million reads per species were assembled into 21,586 and 25,825 unigenes for P. westermani and P. skrjabini, respectively. Many unigenes showed homology with sequences from other food-borne trematodes, but 1,217 high-confidence Paragonimus-specific unigenes were identified. Analyses indicated that both species have the potential for aerobic and anaerobic metabolism but not de novo fatty acid biosynthesis and that they may interact with host signaling pathways. Some 12,432 P. westermani and P. skrjabini unigenes showed a clear correspondence in bi-directional sequence similarity matches. The expression of shared unigenes was mostly well correlated, but differentially expressed unigenes were identified and shown to be enriched for functions related to proteolysis for P. westermani and microtubule based motility for P. skrjabini.
CONCLUSIONS
The assembled transcriptomes of P. westermani and P. skrjabini, inferred proteins, and extensive functional annotations generated for this project (including identified primary sequence similarities to various species, protein domains, biological pathways, predicted proteases, molecular mimics and secreted proteins, etc.) represent a valuable resource for hypothesis driven research on these medically and economically important species.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Brachyura; Gene Expression Regulation; Genetic Variation; Helminth Proteins; Host-Parasite Interactions; Metacercariae; Paragonimus; RNA, Helminth; Transcriptome
PubMed: 27619014
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1785-x -
Parasitology Research Dec 2016Cathepsin L is a cysteine protease belonging to the papain family. In parasitic trematodes, cathepsin L plays essential roles in parasite survival and host-parasite...
Cathepsin L is a cysteine protease belonging to the papain family. In parasitic trematodes, cathepsin L plays essential roles in parasite survival and host-parasite interactions. In this study, cathepsin L of the lung fluke Paragonimus pseudoheterotremus (PpsCatL) was identified and its molecular biological and immunological features characterized. A sequence analysis of PpsCatL showed that the gene encodes a 325-amino-acid protein that is most similar to P. westermani cathepsin L. The in silico three-dimensional structure suggests that PpsCatL is a pro-enzyme that becomes active when the propeptide is cleaved. A recombinant pro-PpsCatL lacking the signal peptide (rPpsCatL), with a molecular weight of 35 kDa, was expressed in E. coli and reacted with P. pseudoheterotremus-infected rat sera. The native protein was detected in crude worm antigens and excretory-secretory products and was localized in the cecum and in the lamellae along the intestinal tract of the adult parasite. Enzymatic activity of rPpsCatL showed that the protein could cleave the fluorogenic substrate Z-Phe-Arg-AMC after autocatalysis but was inhibited with E64. The immunodiagnostic potential of the recombinant protein was evaluated with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and suggested that rPpsCatL can detect paragonimiasis with high sensitivity and specificity (100 and 95.6 %, respectively). This supports the further development of an rPpsCatL-ELISA as an immunodiagnostic tool.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antigens, Helminth; Base Sequence; Cathepsin L; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Escherichia coli; Female; Helminth Proteins; Humans; Mice; Models, Molecular; Molecular Sequence Data; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sequence Alignment
PubMed: 27562899
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5232-x