• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.445-448
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• 2011

A survey was performed to find out the intermediate hosts of Gnathostoma nipponicum in Jeju-do (Province), the Republic of Korea. In August 2009 and 2010, a total of 82 tadpoles, 23 black-spotted pond frogs (Rana nigromaculata), 7 tiger keelback snakes (Rhabdophis tigrinus tigrinus), 6 red-tongue viper snakes (Agkistrodon ussuriensis), and 2 cat snakes (Elaphe dione) were collected in Jeju-do and examined by the pepsin-HCl digestion method. Total 5 gnathostome larvae were detected in 3 (50%) of 6 A. ussuriensis, 70 larvae in 3 of 7 (42.9%) R. tigrinus tigrinus, and 2 larvae in 2 of 82 (8.7%) frogs. No gnathostome larvae were detected in tadpoles and cat snakes. The larvae detected were a single species, and $2.17{\times}0.22mm$ in average size. They had characteristic head bulbs, muscular esophagus, and 4 cervical sacs. Three rows of hooklets were arranged in the head bulbs, and the number of hooklets in each row was 29, 33, and 36 posteriorly. All these characters were consistent with the advanced third-stage larvae of G. nipponicum. It has been first confirmed in Jeju-do that R. nigromaculata, A. ussuriensis, and R. tigrinus tigrinus play a role for intermediate and/or paratenic hosts for G. nipponicum.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.317-321
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• 2011

Adult gnathostomes were discovered in the stomach of the Jeju weasel, Mustela sibilica quelpartis, road-killed in Jeju-do (Province). Their morphological characters were examined to identify the species. Total 50 gnathostome adults were collected from 6 out of 10 weasels examined. In infected weasels, 4-6 worms were grouped and embedded in each granulomatous gastric tumor, except 1 weasel. Male worms were $25.0{\times}1.4$ mm in average size, and had a tail with pedunculate papillae, a spicule, and minute tegumental spines. Females were $40.0{\times}2.5$mm in average size, and had a tail without tegumental spines. Pointed and posteriorly curved hooklets were arranged in 8-10 rows on the head bulb. Tegumental spines were distributed from behind the head bulb to the middle portion of the body. The spines were different in size and shape by the distribution level of the body surface. Fertilized eggs were $65.5{\times}38.9\;{\mu}m$ in average size, and had a mucoid plug at 1 pole. These gnathostomes from Jeju weasels were identified as Gnathostoma nipponicum Yamaguti, 1941. By the present study, it was confirmed for the first time that G. nipponicum is distributed in Jeju-do, the Republic of Korea, and the Jeju weasel, M. sibilica quelpartis, plays a crucial role for its definitive host.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.347-352
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• 1993

1992년 3월에 부산시 중구 남포동 소재 자갈치시장에서 구입한 중국산 미꾸리 376마리에서 6마리의 악구충 유충을 검출하였다. 유충들은 크기가 평균 $674{\;}{\times}{\;}114{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$이었고 특징적인 head bulb와 2쌍의 cervicalsac(평균 $188{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$)을 가지고 있었으며 전체표면에는 미세한 가시가 질서정연하게(평균 229열) 배열되어 있었다. 충체의 전단에는 구순이 돌출되어 있었고 그 뒤로 식도(평균 $306{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$)와 장이 이어졌으며 충체 후단 근처의 복측에 항문이 개구하였다. Head bulb에는 소구 (hooklet)가 평균 34.5개. 36.7개 및 39.7개씩 3열로 배열되어 있었다. 충체의 계측치 및 형태학 적 특징을 근거로 Gnakhostoma nipponicum의 제3기 유충으로 동정하였으며 중국산 미꾸리가 이 선충의 제2중간숙주임을 확인하였다. 이러한 수입 식용동물들이 국내에는 없는 새로운 기생충 질환의 감염원이 될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.73-78
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• 2012

We report a case of intraocular gnathostomiasis diagnosed by western blot assay in a patient with subretinal tracks. A 15-year-old male patient complained of blurred vision in the right eye, lasting for 2 weeks. Eight months earlier, he had traveled to Vietnam for 1 week and ate raw wild boar meat and lobster. His best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes and anterior chamber examination revealed no abnormalities. Fundus examination showed subretinal tracks in the right eye. Fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography showed linear hyperfluorescence of the subretinal lesion observed on fundus in the right eye. Ultrasound examination revealed no abnormalities. Blood tests indicated mild eosinophilia (7.5%), and there was no abnormality found by systemic examinations. Two years later, the patient visited our department again for ophthalmologic evaluation. Visual acuity remained 20/20 in both eyes and the subretinal tracks in the right eye had not changed since the previous examination. Serologic examination was performed to provide a more accurate diagnosis, and the patient's serum reacted strongly to the $Gnathostoma$ $nipponicum$ antigen by western blot assay, which led to a diagnosis of intraocular gnathostomiasis. This is the first reported case of intraocular gnathostomiasis with subretinal tracks confirmed serologically using western blot in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제61권3호
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• pp.298-303
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• 2023

This study aimed to describe a rare case of gnathostomiasis in the vocal cord. A 54-yearold Chinese woman living in Korea visited with a chief complaint of voice change at the outpatient department of otorhinolaryngology in Hallym Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University on August 2, 2021. She had eaten raw conger a few weeks before the voice change developed, but her medical history and physical examinations demonstrated neither gastrointestinal symptoms nor other health problems. A round and red cystic lesion, recognized in the anterior part of the right vocal cord, was removed using forceps and scissors through laryngeal microsurgery. The histopathological specimen of the cyst revealed 3 cross-sections of a nematode larva in the lumen of the cyst wall composed of inflammatory cells and fibrotic tissues. They differ in diameter, from 190 ㎛ to 235 ㎛. They showed characteristic cuticular layers with tegumental spines, somatic muscle layers, and gastrointestinal tracts such as the esophagus and intestine. Notably, intestinal sections consisted of 27-28 lining cells containing 0-4 nuclei per cell. We tentatively identified the nematode larva recovered from the vocal cord cystic lesion as the thirdstage larva of Gnathostoma, probably G. nipponicum or G. hispidum, based on the sectional morphologies.