• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.189-192
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• 1991

Status of metacercarial infections of Paragcnimus westermani was observed in freshwater crabs, which were purchased at 3 markets in its peak season of 1990. All of 85 crabs were Eriocheir japenicus. No other species of Eriocheir were found. When crushed muscle and viscera was examined individually, the infection rate was 11.8% ; and mean number of metacercariae was 2.1 per infected crab. Unless adequately cooked, freshwater crabs are still potential sources of human paragonimiasis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.194-200
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• 1986

A study on the population density of crayfish intermediate hosts and infestation status of crayfish with encysted larvae of Paragonimus westermani in Ulchin county, Kyungpook Province, Korea was conducted from May to October in 1986. The population density of the crayfish ranged from 1 to 13, with an average of 4 per man-hour. Among the six habitats, Ducheon had a somewhat higher density than that of the others. Of eight hundred and seventeen crayfish examined, 127 or 15.5 per cent harboured the metacercarial larvae of Paragonimus westermani. The majority of the larvae were found in three parts of the body: most frequently in the cephalothorax, next in the gills, and then in the liver. The average number of metacercarial larvae per infected crayfish ranged from 1.0 to 1.9, with an average of 1.7. Summarizing the results, this study indicates that the population density of crayfish intermediate host and infestation rates for the crayfish with encysted larvae of Paragonimus westermani in Ulchin county of Kyungpook Province is relatively high.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2003

The tegumental ultrastructure of juvenile and adult Himasthla alincia (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) was observed by scanning electron microscopy. One-, 5- (juveniles) and 20-day-old worms (adults) were harvested from chicks experimentally fed metacercariae from a bivalve, Mactra veneriformis. The juvenile worms were elongated and cu wed ventrally. The head crown bore 31 collar spines, arranged in a single row. The lip of the oral sucker had 12 paired, and 3 single type 1 sensory papillae, and the ventral sucker had about 25 type II sensory papillae. The anterolateral surface between the two suckers was densely packed with tegumental spines with 4-7 pointed tips. The adult worms were more elongated and filamentous, and had severe transverse folds over the whole body surface. On the head crown and two suckers, type 1 and 11 sensory papillae were more densely distributed than in the juvenile worms. Retractile brush-like spines, with 8-10 digits, were seen on the anterolateral surface, whereas claw-shaped spines, with 2-5 digits, were sparsely distributed posteriorly to the ventral sucker The cirrus characteristically protruded out, and was armed with small spines distally. The surface ultrastructure of H. alincia was shown to be unique among echinostomes, especially in the digitation of its tegumental spines, the distribution of sensory papillae and by severe folds of the tegument.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.139-142
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• 1997

Cleaving host immunoglobulins is a well known mechanism of evading host immune reactions exploited by helminth parasites, Secreted cysteine proteases of helminth are a part of enzymes cleaving host IgG. Porogonimw westemani produces at least six different species of the cysteine protease in its developmental stages. This study was undertaken to evaluate comparatively the activities against human IgG by the different enzymes. When the metacercariae, which secrete 27 and 28 kDa cysteine proteases, were incubated in human IgG solution, IgG was degraded at its hinge region. Further incubation resulted complete hydrolysis. From 4-week and 7-week old juveniles and 16-week old adults of p. westemani, five different enzymes at 15, 17. 27 28 and 53 kDa have been purified, if the enzyme with the same molecular mass is regarded to be identical. In cleaving human IgG, each cysteine protease exhibited decreasing activities with age.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.223-232
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• 1997

Metagonimus miyatai n. sp. (Digenea: Heterophyidae) is described based on adult flukes collected from experimental dogs and hamsters fed with metacercariae encysted in the sweetfish, Plecoglossus altivelis, dace, Tribolodon hakonensis and T. taczanowskii, common fat-minnow. Morocco steindachneri pale chub, Zacco platypus, and dark chub, Zacco temmincki, and on those collected from naturally infected humans. The new species was morphologically compared with M. yokogawai and M. takahashii obtained from experimental animals fed with the sweetflsh and the crucian carp, Cnrossius caressius, respectively. The uterine loops of M. miyatai reached near the posterior end of the body through the space between the two testes, whereas those of M. yokogawai, occupied only the space between the acetabulum and anterior border of two testes. This uterine tubule distribution was similar to that of another closely related species, M. takahashii. However vitellaria of M. miyatai ended in front of the posterior end of the left testis, while those of M. takahcshii reached the posterior end of the left testis and ran it over. By raising M. miyatai as a new species, differentiation of M. yokogawai and M. takahashii became very clear. A key to the species of the genus Metagonimus in the Far East has been proposed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.335-338
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• 2010

Maritrema spp. (Digenea: Microphallidae) are parasites of birds, but have not been found in the Republic of Korea. In this study, metacercariae of Maritrema sp. were discovered in the Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, caught in the mud-flats of Jebu-do, Hwasung-gun, Gyeonggi-do, and the adult flukes were confirmed by experimental infection into mice. Based on the symmetric ribbon-like vitellarium, adult flukes of Maritrema sp. were identified, but did not belong to previously described species in terms of the following morphologic characteristics: ceca reaching to the lateral wall at the anterior border of the ovary; ventral sucker larger than oral sucker; a prominent metraterm; and vitellarium forming a complete ring. Hence, we named this microphallid M. jebuensis n. sp. after the island where the second intermediate hosts were collected. From this study, it has been shown that Maritrema sp. is distributed in Korea and transmitted by the Asian shore crab, H. sanguineus.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.150-154
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• 1977

In the diagnosis of parasitic helminthic diseases, the value of examining and identifying the parasitic eggs and/or adult parasites from patient's urine or stool are well appreciated. However, these methods have a limited value in the diagnosis of tissue or intracellular parasitism, and we have to rely on supplementary methods such as immune-serological test. The author tested the value of gel precipitation reactions as a diagnostic method of clonorchiasis by observing the appearance of bands in rats experimentally infected with Clonorchis sinensis, And the therapeutic effect of CIBA 35'058-Ba was evaluated by this serological method. The antigen was prepared from the adult worms infected in rabbits by Tsuji method. Rats infected with 40 metacercariae each were bled on 7,14,21,26,28,39,42(43),49(53) days after infection to observe the appearance of precipitin bands by both Oucterlony method and immunoelectrophoresis. Fifteen rats were separately infected and treated with CIBA 35'058-Ba in dose of 15mg/kg of body weight. The following results were obtained: 1. It was observed that there exist individual variations in the appearance of the first precipitin band with the range of 2-4 weeks after infection. 2. The number of precipitin bands was increased until 6-7 weeks after infection. In all cases, 3 precipitin bands were appeared by Oucterlony method and 6-7 bands were appeared by immunoelectrophoresis after 6-7 weeks of infecion. 3. It was hardly possible to notice any change in the number of bands after the administration of CIBA 35'058-Ba. This result suggested that the drug has no effect on clonorchiasis which was confirmed by the autopsy of the experimental rats.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 1988

An epidemiological study was performed to know the infection status of 5. hortense among the human residents and fish intermediate hosts in Chongsong·gun, Kyongsangbuk·do. Out of 263 people examined, 59(22.4%) were positive for the eggs of E. hortense. Total 152 fresh water fishes (9 species) were ellamined, and Odentobutis obscura interrupts, Misgurnus an- guiIZicaudatus and Squalidus coreanus were found to harbour the metacercariae of E. hortense. Juvenile or adult E. hertense were expelled from 35 out of 54 cases treated with pragiquantel. The number of worms Per individual ranged from 1 to 649, with the average burden of 51. The eosinophil count of infected persons ranged 1∼24% (6% in average). The number of eggs per day Per worm (EPDPW) in human host was estimated about 1,478. The results showed that Chongsong-gun is an endemic area of E. hortense.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 1993

We performed bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) staining to observe the proliferation pattern of epithelial cells on the biliaJy mucosa in Clonorchis sinensis infection. Albino rats were infected with 100 metacercariae each and their livers were processed for histopathological observation after BrdU injection. Five to six sites in the liver of a rat were selected for paraffin section, and stained immunohistochemically to visualize BrdU incorporating cells. The flukes were mainly in the common bile duct and right or left hepatic bile ducts. The proportion of stained epithelial cells in the infected bile ducts where the worms were found on the section was 2.9-10.2% at 1 week after infection. 7.3-12.8% at 2 weeks, 7.3-13.4% at 5 weeks, and 8.4-14.8% at 15 weeks while in the non-infected ducts o to 2.7% cells were stained. The stained cells were mainly at the base of the mucosal layer. It is suggested that mucosal epithelial cells of the bile ducts infected with C. sinensis become hyperplastic mainly by direct and local stimulation of the worms.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2003

The effects of anti-allergic drugs on intestinal mastocytosis and the expulsion of Neodiplostomum seoulense were observed in Sprague-Dawley rats, after oral infection with 500 metacercariae. The drugs used were hydroxyzine (a histamine receptor H$_1$ blocker), cimetidine (a H$_2$ blocker), cyclosporin-A (a helper T-cell suppressant), and prednisolone (a T- and B-cell suppressant). Infected, but untreated controls, and uninfected controls, were prepared. Worm recovery rate and intestinal mastocytosis were measured on weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 post-infection. Compared with the infected controls, worm expulsion was significantly (P < 0.05) delayed in hydroxyzine- and cimetidine-treated rats, despite mastocytosis being equally marked in the duodenum of all three groups. In the cyclosporin-A- and prednisolone-treated groups, mastocytosis was suppressed, but worm expulsion was only slightly delayed, without statistical significance. Our results suggest that binding of histamine to its receptors on intestinal smooth muscles is more important in terms of the expulsion of N. seoulense from rats than the levels of histamine alone, or mastocytosis.