• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.217-226
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• 1991

Three morphological types of the genus Metagonimus were found encysted in the dace, Tribolodon tacganowskii, caught from the Sumjin River, Korea. They include Metagonimus Yokogawa type (M. yokogawai) , Miyata type, and Koga type according to Saito's classification. The metacercariae were experimentally fed to rats and hamsters and a total of 1,624 Metagonimus worms were recovered from their small intestine. The number of each type was 820 for Yokogawa type, 688 for Miyata type, 46 for Koga type, and 70 undetermined. The major differential keys between Yokogawa and Miyata types were in the position of two testes, distribution of uterine tubules, and size of the eggs, and the keys between Miyata and Koga types were in the position of two testes, distribution of vitelline follicles, and size of the eggs. The validity of Miyata type as a specific level should be retained until more convincing evidences are obtained. Koga type is regarded as a synonym of M. takahashii. The present results reveal that there are 3 morphological types of Metagonimus whose larvae are encysted in the dace, T. tacganowskii, from the Sumjin River. Key words: Metagcnimus yokogawai, morphological types, rats, hamsters, dace ( Tribolodon tacxanowskii) , Sumjin Rver.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 1991

A numerical taxonomy was studied on a group of heterophyid trematodes and analysis was made on the following species: Metagonimus yokogawai (3 OTU, Operational Taxonomic Unit) , Metagcnimus Miyata Type (3 OTU), Metagonimus takahashii (2 OTU), Heterophyes dispar (2 OTU), Heterephyes heterophyes (1 OTU), Heterophyes nocens (2 OTV), Heterophyopsis continua (1 OTU), Pygidiopsis summa (3 OTU), Stellantchasmus falcatus (2 OTU) and Stictodora sari (2 OTU). Twenty-six morphological characters were measured and their values were expressed as relative ratios. Similarity and correlation matrix among each individuals were calculated. Clustering analysis by Ward's method and factor analysis were performed using the SAS (Statistical Analysis System) package. As a results, the groups belonging to the genus of Metegenimus were divided into three phonons (Awetegonimus yokogawai, Metegcnimus Miyata Type, M. takahashii) , and Metagonimus Miyata Type was classified as the level of subspecies of M. takahashii. The groups belonging to the genus Heterophyes were clearly divided into three phonons (Heterophyes dispar, H. heterephyes, H. nocens), and H. nccens was classified as not a subspecies level of H. heterophyes but a distinct species. Other species were classified as distinct phonons. From these results, the appllcr lion of numerical taxonomy on trematode classification is considered to be a great aid to determine the limit of taxa.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.237-241
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• 1999

In order to analyze chromosome numbers and karyotypes of intestinal trematodes belonging to the genus, Metagonimus, the gonad tissues of M. takahashii, M. miyatai, and M. yokogawai were prepared and examined. The number of bivalents in the first meiotic division of M. takahashii was nine (n＝9). The diploid number of M. miyatai was observed to be eighteen (2n＝18) and their chromosomes consisted of one pair of metacentric, 7 pairs of submetacentric, and one pair of telocentric chromosomes. The diploid number of M. yokogawai was thirty-two (2n＝32) and the chromosome complements were composed of two pairs of metacentric, 11 pairs of submetacentric, and three pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes. These results could be a supporting evidence for the validity of the new species, M. miyatai, distinct from M. yokogawai.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.627-639
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• 2015

Metagonimus yokogawai (Katsurada, 1912) Katsurada, 1912 (Trematoda: Heterophyidae) is parasitic in the small intestine of mammals including man and birds in Far Eastern Russia, Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. In the present study, the metacercariae and adults of M. yokogawai were redescribed to designate a neotype of this fluke together with reviews of previous studies including study histories from the first discovery to now. We particularly, attempted to review the study histories and morphological descriptions of M. yokogawai for the species validity, and compared with the morphological characteristics and life cycles of the closely related species, Metagonimus takahashii and Metagonimus miyatai. Finally, we proposed a differential key for the 8 known Metagonimus species distributed in East Asia. Metacercariae were obtained from the body muscles of sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis) collected in the Asahi River at Takebe-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Adults were recovered from the small intestine of Syrian golden hamsters, to which the metacercariae had been fed 14 days before. A neotype was selected out of the present adult specimens. The Asahi River at Takebo-cho became the type locality of M. yokogawai. In conclusion, the present review shows that M. yokogawai, M. takahashii, and M. miyatai are valid and discriminated by means of morphological characteristics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 1988

The Hongcheon river system knows down through the Hongcheon area of Kangwon-do, and reaches to the Cheongpyeong "Dam in Kyonggi.do. Stool specimens from the inhabitants residing along the Hongcheon river basin were examined to detect infection rates of Metagonimus sp. , and the intermediate hosts were collected to detect larval stages. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Thirty-nine (33 males and 6 females) out of 529 (314 males and 215 females) inhabitants were infected with Metagonimus sp., showing a total positive rate of 7.4%. 2. In eight areas surveyed, the specimens from Kulji.ri of Bukbang-myon at the middle part of the river showed the highest positive rate of 26.9% (14 positives out of 52) (males; 38.2%), The specimens from Mogog-ri of Seo-myon at the downstream of the river showed a positive rate of 10.4%(13 positives out of 125) (males; 12.6%). The positive rates in other regions were less than 10%. 3. The density of the first intermediate host, Semisulcospira sp., was the highest in Kulji.ri of Bukbang-myon (10~20 snails per $m^2$), and the infection rate of Metagonimus cercariae in the snails was 10.7%(13 positives out of 121 snails). 4. The infection rate of Metagonimus metacercariae in Zacco platypus, the freshwater Bish favorably eaten raw by the inhabitants, was 68.25 (30 positives out of 44 fishes), and most metacercariae were detected under the scales (89.95). 5. Adult flukes were obtained from the small intestine of a rat, 15 days after infection with the metacercariae obtained from Z. platypus. These adult cukes were identified to be the same species as thcse obtained from human hosts. By this survey, new endemic areas of Metagonimus infection were discovered along the Hongcheon river basin and the main source of infection was the fresh water ash, Z. platypus.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.331-340
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• 1993

This study investigate the epidemiological feature of Metagonimus infection in Kangwon-do (province). The average Infection rate of the surveyed inhabitants was 7.8% (83 positives out of 1, 067 examinees) by stool examination; male, 11.4% and female, 3.2%, respectively. The egg positive rate in residents in the Som river area was 7.3%, that of the Chuchon river area 6.3%, the Pyongchang river area 12.8%, the Tong river area 3.8%, the Hongchon river area 9.8%, and the Ohsip stream area of Samchok 8.0%,respectively. The average metacercarial infection rate of genus Metagonimus in the fish was 81.0% (256 positives out of 318 fish). The infected fleshes were Zacco platypus. Zacco teminki, Opswiichthys biens, Squdidis sp., Corqssius carassius, etc. in western Kangwon-do Meanwhile, in the Ohsip stream area of Samchok-gun, eastern costal Kangwon-do, the infected fish were Plecoglossus altivelis and Tribolodon hokonensis. The rats and dogs are infected with the metcercanae obtained from Zacco platypus and Opsariichthys biens, adult worms collected were Miyata type of Metagonimus with some M. takahashii. When infected with metacercariae from Plecoglossus ltivelis, Metagonimus yokogowai was only found. M. yoogawai and Metagonimus Mlyata type were fecund together in Tribolodon hakonenis in Ohsip stream area of Samchok, in the eastern Kangwon-do. The intestinal flukes of genus Metogonimus in western Kangwon-do were Miyata type of MetQnonimuT and M. takahashii transmitting mainly by Zacco platypus and Opsariichtys bidens as a source of infection. In the eastern part of Kangwon province (Ohsip stream area of Samchok), M. yokogowai was mainly distributed by P. altivelis and T. hakonesis, but some T. hakonensis harbored the metacercariae of Miyata type of Metagonimus with those of M. yokogawai.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.169-173
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• 1999

The present study was undertaken to survey the infection status of Metagonimus sp. metacercariae in freshwater fishes from Tong river located in Kangwon Province, a total of 178 freshwater fishes of 11 species were collected by a fish net and traps from the end of September to early October 1998. They were brought to the laboratory and examined under a stereomicroscope after artificial digestion with pepsin-HCI solution for one hour. Ten out of eleven species of freshwater fishes examined were found to contain metacercariae of Metagonimus sp. The most frequently infected fish was Liobagrus andersoni Regan 91.7% (11 of 12 fishes), followed by Gobiobotia breviburba Mori 75.0% (6 of 8 fishes), Zacco temmincki 66.2% (49 of 74 fishes), Cobitis koreensis Kim 50.0% (1 of 2 fishes), Microphysogobio longidorsails Mori 42.9% (9 of 21 fishes), Cobitis rotundicudata Wakiya et Mori 33.3% (2 of 6 fishes), Hemibarbus longirostris 33.3% (1 of 3 fishes), Pungtungia tenuicorpus 30.0% (3 of 10 fishes), Coreoleuciscus splenddus Mori 28.6% (4 of 14 fishes), Coreoperca herri Herzeanstein 11.1％ (1 of 9 fishes) respectively Metagonimus metacercariae was not found from Moroco kumgangensis Uchida of freshwater fish. The total number of Metagonimus sp. metacercariae was 81, 17, 216, 1, 14, 2, 1, 4, 10, 1, respectively. Infection rates of Metagonimus sp. in the five districts was shown as follows : Chongson-up Kyulam-ri 50.0% (12 of 24 fishes), Chongson-up Kasu-ri 34.0% (17 of 50 fishes), Shindong-up Unchi-ri 56.0% (14 of 25 fishes), Shingdong-up Kosong-ri 57.1％ (20 of 35 fishes), Shingdong-up Duckchon-ri 54.5% (24 of 44 fishes) respectively. Infection rate of freshwater fish was 48.9% (87 of 178 fishes) and from the results obtained in this survey, it was confirmed that freshwater fishes from Tong river was infected with metacercariae of Metagonimus sp.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.253-256
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• 1990

This study was performed to observe the infection status of sweetfish, caught from Kwangjung- stream and Namdae-stream in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon-do in August 1989, with the metacercariae of Metagonimus yokogawai. All of 28 sweetish from Kwangjung-stream were infected with the metacercariae of M. yokogawai. The number of metacercariae in a fish ranked 89-521(224 on average), and the number of larvae/g of mesh was 12-55(22 on average). On the other hand, no metacercariae were detected in the fish from Namdae-stream. It has been confirmed that the Kwangjung-stream in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon·do is one of the endemic foci of metagonimiasis in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.161-165
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• 2011

The present study was performed to determine the current infecion status of Metagonimus yokogawai metacercariae in sweetfish, Plecoglossus altivelis, collected from several streams in eastern and southern coastal areas of Korea. The sweetfish collected were artificially digested with pepsin-HCI solution and examined under a stereomicroscope in August and September, 2007. Out of 145 sweetfish collected from 10 streams in eastern coasts (Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do), 88 (60.7%) were infected with Metagonimus metacercariae. The average metacercarial density was 61 per infected fish. Among 141 sweetfish collected from 10 streams in southern coasts (Gyeongsangnam-do, Ulsan Metropolitan city, and Jeollanam-do), 140 (99.3%) were infected with Metagonimus metacercariae, and their average density was 949 per infected fish. The present study confirmed that M. yokogawai metacercariae are still prevalent in the sweetfish from several eastern and southern coastal localities. The prevalence and metacercarial density were much higher in the sweetfish from streams of southern coasts than in those of eastern coasts. Therefore, attention should be paid to this small fluke infection, and consumption of raw sweetfish naturally produced in these areas should be prohibited.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 1991

We surveyed 12 migrating large egrets, Egretta alba modesta, for their infection status with intestinal trematodes, from June to September, 1990. All of them were infected with one or more flukes. Total 5 species were identified. Their infection rates and total numbers of worms were Metagonimus sp. 67% and 1, 412, Centrocestus armatus 67% and 2, 306, Echinochasmus japenicus 50% and 99, Strigea falconis 83% and 635, and a diplostomid cuke 33% and 36. The number of worms in a bird was in the range from 6 to 896. This is the first record that the egret is a reservoir host of Metagonimus sp., C. armatus, E. japonicus, and S. falconis. S. falconis is a new parasite fauna in Korea. Migrating birds must play an important role in the transmission and spreading of these intestinal trematodes in Korea.