• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.189-191
• /
• 2014

Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar is an endemic parasitic disease in some parts of the world which is characterized by fever, splenomegaly, and pancytopenia in most of the cases. Herein we report an 11 month-old male infant with diagnosis of kala-azar who presented with pallor, hepatosplenomegaly, failure to gain weight, and no history of fever. Surprisingly, fever started after beginning of meglumine antimoniate treatment in this patient. As far as we are aware of, this is a rare presentation of visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, clinicians especially in endemic areas are highly recommended to include kala-azar among differential diagnosis of unexplained anemia without fever to prevent misdiagnosis of this potentially fatal, but treatable condition.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.221-224
• /
• 2014

Larvae, nymphs, and adult stages of 3 species of ixodid ticks were collected by tick drag methods in Seoul during June-October 2013, and their infection status with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus was examined using RT-PCR. During the period, 732 Haemaphysalis longicornis, 62 Haemaphysalis flava, and 2 Ixodes nipponensis specimens were collected. Among the specimens of H. longicornis, the number of female adults, male adults, nymphs, and larvae were 53, 11, 240, and 446, respectively. Ticks were grouped into 63 pools according to the collection site, species, and developmental stage, and assayed for SFTS virus. None of the pools of ticks were found to be positive for SFTS virus gene.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.197-204
• /
• 2009

Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite, causes sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana disease in domestic animals in central Africa. The trypanosome surface is extensively covered by glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins known as variant surface glycoproteins and procyclins. GPI anchoring is suggested to be important for trypanosome survival and establishment of infection. Trypanosomes are not only pathogenically important, but also constitute a useful model for elucidating the GPI biosynthesis pathway. This review focuses on the trypanosome GPI biosynthesis pathway. Studies on GPI that will be described indicate the potential for the design of drugs that specifically inhibit trypanosome GPI biosynthesis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.147-150
• /
• 1992

The second case of human infection with Mesccestoides Zineatus in Korea was reported. The patient, a farm worker, complained of abdominal pain and massive discharge of sesame-like proglottids in his stool for several months. Worms, recovered by chemotherapy with niclosamide, consisted of 32 strobilae. This may be the heaviest worm burden in human infection ever reported. The infected man habitually ate the raw viscera of chickens.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.255-258
• /
• 1992

Two fully matured specimens were collected from the blood vessel of two fish, Tlreragra chatcogramma, which was bought at the Emun market of Seoul in May, 1985. The blood cuke has no pharynx and suckers. Its body surface was covered with minute spines forming fan-shaped groups, 15 Mm long. The intestine was H-shaped, and the ratio of esophageal length to body length was 1 : 6.1∼6.8. Irregular shaped testes were 109∼114 in number, occupying the intercecal space from cecal bifurcation to the genital pore. The present species was identified as Aporocotyle sheragrae. This is the first report of the species in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.286-288
• /
• 1983

폐흡충 감염자에서 나타나는 중추신경계의 병변을 모두 폐흡충이 중추신경계를 침범하여 발생한 것이라고는 할 수 없다. 그러므로 이 경우 원인진단을 위해서는 뇌척수액에 나타나는 폐흡충 특이항체의 측정이 필요하다고 생각된다. 우리는 확인된 뇌폐흡충중 2례와 척수 스파르가눔증 1례, 뇌병변이 없는 폐흡충증 환자 1례와, 기타 중추신경계 질환 환자 10례에서 얻은 뇌척수액을 희석하지 않고 면역효소진단법으로 특이항체를 측정하였다. 그 결과 흡광도 0.25를 양성 기준으로 하면 뇌 폐흡퉁증을 진단할 수 있다고 생각하게 되었다. 폐흡충중 환자 2례의 흉막삼출액에서 특이 IgG 항체가는 혈청에서의 측정치와 다르지 않아, 흉막삼출액도 폐흡충증의 진단에 이용할 수 있다고 생각되었다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.133-136
• /
• 1988

On October 26, 1987, the authors encountered a case of human thelasiasis involving both eyes. The case in Chollapuk-do, Korea, a farmer aged 23, complained of mild lacrimation for 3 weeks followed by 1 week duration of foreign body sensation in both eyes prior to examination of eyes. The conjunctivae of both eyes appeared slightly reddened. No other abnormalities were noticed. Total 6 worms, one male and two females from each eye, were removed, parasitologically studied, and identified as Thelazia callipaeda Railliet and Henry, 1910.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.249-252
• /
• 1989

Fibricola cratera is a strigeoid trematode indigenous to North America that, heretofore, was known only to infect wild mammals. Herein, it is reported that an experimental inoculation of a human volunteer produced a patellt infection that lasted 40 months. Symptoms of epigastric discomfort, loose stools and flatulence occurred over the first year of infection and ameliorated thereafter. Eggs per gram of stool were low (${\leq}2$) throughout the course of infection and were not detected by the standard technique of formalin-ether concentration. To monitor infection, the entire stool sample was examined each month after sieving through No. 10 (pore size 2 mm) and 100 (pore size $145{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$) sieves and collecting eggs on a No. 325 (pore size $45{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$) sieve. This is the first report of a North American strigeoid trematode capable of maturing in a human and is only the second species of strigeoid known to do so. The other species is F. seoulensis which has been implicated in 26 human infections in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.293-294
• /
• 1993

We examined stools of 113 soldiers of Korean Army in Whachon-gun, Korea in 1992. The eggs of Clonorchis sinetris (71113) and Metqsonimw sp. (31113), and cysts of Ginrdia lomblic (41113) were detected. No eggs of soil-transmitted helminths were found. Most of the CLonorchis-infected soldiers (6171 were recruited from Kyongsangnam-do.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.193-196
• /
• 2001

We report a case of gastric pseudoterranoviasis proven by gastrofiberscopy on Dec. 13, 1994. The 34-year-old male patient, residing in Chungju-shi, was admitted to Konkuk University Hospital complaining of prickling epigastric pain. The symptoms suddenly attacked him two days after eating raw marine fish at Chonan-shi. By the gastrofiberscopic examination, a long white-yellowish nematode was found from the fundus region of stomach. The worm was $34.50{\;}{\times}{\;}0.84{\;}{\;}mm$ in size. and was identified as a 3rd stage larva of Pseudoterranova decipiens judging from the position of the intestinal cecum. This is the 12th confirmed case of human pseudoterranoviasis in Korea.