• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.161-172
• /
• 1991

The complete life cycle of Echinostoma hertense has been maintained in the laboratory, using Lymnaea persia snails and Rana nigromaculata tadpoles as the first and second intermediate hosts. ICR mice was used as the definitive host. Within the egg of 5. hotense, the miracidium was fully matured in 13 days of incubation at $29~30^{\circ}C$. The miracidium was $93.8{\times}53.6{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$ in average size, covered with numerous cilia of $7~11{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$ length. The epidermal plates were arranged in 6-8-4-2 formula. The first generation rediae ($1.19{\times}0.27{\;}mm$ in average size) were observed in 14 days after miracidial challenge to the snails, and the second generation rediae ($1.40{\times}0.26{\;}mm$ in average size) in 30 days. The average sixte of the cercaria was $295.5{\times}145.0{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$. Their head crown was poorly developed, and collar spines were not yet observed. After a cercarial challenge to the tadpoles, all of the tadpoles became infected and the average worm recovery rate was 88.5%. The majority of the metacercariae (75.5%) were recovered from the muscle of the tadpole's posterior body and the rest (24.3%) from their gills. The metacercariae from the tadpoles were elliptical, and $167.7{\times}129.9{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$ in average size. The recovery rate of adults from the mice was difFerent by the age of the metacercariae grown in the tadpoles. The metacercariae younger than 5 hrs could not infect mice whereas those older than 6 hrs could infect mice. The recovery rate became higher as the metacercaria matured, with the peak recovery rate of 90.0 % at the metacercarial age of 9 days. Thereafter the recovery rate decreased to 55.0% at the age of 50 days. As shown by the above results, the whole life cycle of E. hcrtense has been completed in the laboratory. At least 55~58 days were required to maintain one egg-to-egg cycle of E. hortense.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.91-98
• /
• 1998

The present study was performed to observe characteristics of the lifE history of Echinoparvphium recunpatum under both natural and laboratory conditions in Korea. A batch of Rcnix aunculnria corecna was collected from Sunamchon, one of the stream of West Naktonggang (River), in Kangso-gu, Pusan during August and September 1992. Out of 106 snails examined by crushing,52 (49.0%) were infected with larval E. recurvaum i.e. rediae, cercariae and metacercariae. Cercariae naturally shed from snails encysted in the snails of same species and loaches, but not in mud-snails. Adult worms were detected from chicks and ducks experimentally infected with metacercariae, but not from rats and mice. The average recovery rate of adults from chicks was 13.1%. Rediae were sac-like, $2.437{\;}{\times}{\;}0.317{\;}mm$ in average size, with a muscular pharynx and a brownish cecum which reached the anterior half of the body. Cercariae consisted of a spindle-shaped body ($0.262{\;}{\times}{\;}0.129{\;}mm$ in average) and a rod-like tail ($0.528{\;}{\times}{\;}0.056{\;}mm$ in average). In the cercarial body, 45 collar spines were observed on the head crown, and double rows of excretory ducts with fine granules were laterally arranged between the pharynnx and the ventral sucker. Metacercariae were spherical, $0.144{\;}{\times}{\;}0.142{\;}mm in average size, with thick hyaline outer and thin elastic inner walls, and many excretory granules. Adults were slender and more attenuated in the anterior end, $0.2760{\;}{\times}{\;}0.550{\;}mm$ in average size, and had 45 collar spines including four end group spines on both ventral corners. From the above results, it was confirmed that R. auriculnna corennc plays a pivotal role in the life cycle of 5. recuwatum as the first and/or second intermediate hosts in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 1998

An epidemiological survey was carried out to determine the first intermediate host of Clinostomum complanatum among freshwater snails in Korea. Two species of snails belonging to the family Lymnaeidae were collected in Kaum-ji (pond) , Uisong-gun, Kyongsangbuk-do. Twelve (0.9%) out of 1,273 Radiae auricularia corecna examined were found to liberate cercariae of C. complcnatum, which were identified by morphologital characteristics and experimental infections in freshwater fish, Pseunorosborc pnnjc. The cercariae were brevifurcate and clinostomatoid. They had a transparent dorsal fin, a well developed penetrating organ and a pair of eye spots. The body measured $119-147{\;}{\times}{\;}33-36{\mu\textrm{m}}$, tail stem, tailstem은 $275-370{\;}{\times}{\;}19-26{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$, and furcae, $72-104{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$. Rediae were demonstrated in the infected snail after crushing. Redia, $527-1,630{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$ long and 121-368${\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$ wide, contained 10-45 germ balls and cercariae in various developmental stapes. The metacercariae recovered from fish experimentally infected with C. complanntum cercariae were morphologically identical to those from naturally infected fish.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.39-44
• /
• 1990

The life history of Echinostoma cinetorchis was completed in the laboratory using Hippeutis cantors as the first and second intermediate host. The incubation for maturation of eggs and hatching of miracidia took 24 days at 28℃. On the 66th day after miracidial challenge, 16 snails were crushed and examined for the presence of E. cinetorchis larvae. The metacercariae were detected in all of the snails, and from three of them were found the rediae and cercariae. The morphological characteristics of the larvae and the experimentally obtained adults were compatible with that of E. cinetorchis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.121-136
• /
• 1986

Recently there have been some reports on human infections of Echinostoma hortense in Korea. It was found that a few species of freshwater fishes were playing the role of the second intermediate host of E. hortense. However, molluscan intermediate host has not been identified yet in Korea. The present study aimed to establish the life cycle of E. hortense in laboratory. Experimental studies such as egg production from the rat, development of the eggs in vitro, exposure of miracidia to freshwater snails, shedding pattern of cercariae from infected snails, morphology of cercariae, cercarial infection to the second intermediate host and infection of metacercariae to the definitive hosts were done. In addition, epidemiological surveys on the infection status in inhabitants and house rats, and on the natural infection of larval echinostomes in the snails and fishes were carried out along the South Hangang-river. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The eggs deposited from adults in physiological saline were cultivated at room temperature($20{\sim}24^{\circ}C$). The miracidia were firstly observed on 8 days after cultivation, and 85.5% of the eggs contained the mature miracidia on 11 days after cultivation. More than 90% formed the miracidia when cultivated at temperature $22{\sim}27^{\circ}C$. Hatching of the miracidia began on 12 days after cultivation and continued for a week. The size of the miracidia was $103.0{{\times}}51.4{\mu}m$ in average. The motility of the miracidia were active up to 8 hours after shedding, but they were all dead within 10 hours after shedding. 2. A freshwater snail, Radix auricularia coreana was cultivated in aquaria. A hatched $F_1$ snails from the egg masses were exposed to 20 miracidia respectively. Escape of cercariae started on 15 days after infecton. Radix auricularia coreana was experimentally identified as the first intermediate host of E. hortense in Korea. 3. Cercarial shedding started on $15{\sim}20$ days after infection by snail, continued for about 10 days (8.8 days in average). Infected snails were dead within 32 days after the miracidial infection. About 1,335 cercariae($328{\sim}1,994$) per snail were shed in its life, and 119 cercariae in average per snail per day were shed. The cercariae were motile for more than 24 hours, and then squirming at the bottom until death. The body and tail sizes of cercariae were $356{\times}186{\mu}m$ and $510{\times}68{\mu}m$ in average, respectively. The rediae parasitized in the snail hosts were found mainly around the pericardial regions, and their size was $1,575{\times}258{\mu}m$ in average. The numbers of developing cercariae in a mature redia were 14 in average ($7{\sim}20$ in range). The numbers of rediae in a snail were 102 in average on 15 days after miracidial infection and 221 in average on 28 days. 4. Three uninfected Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, less than 6.5cm long were used in for the cercarial infection. They were all exposed with 755 cercariae, and examined at 5-day intervals starting from 10 days after infection. All the fishes were infected with metacercariae of E. hortense and a total of 275 was found infected(36.4%). The metacercariae were fed to rats and the adult worms were obtained on 15 days after infection. 5. The infected rats began to deposit the eggs on 11 days after infection. The number of eggs deposited per day per worm (EPD/worm) was $400{\sim}500$ on 3 weeks after infection and was increased to $1,000{\sim}1,500$ on 4 to 17 weeks, then decreased to 800 on 21 weeks after infection. 6. A total of 745 stool specimens collected from 576 male and 169 female residents of 8 different villages along South Hangang basin was examined. Out of 745 specimens, the eggs of Echinostoma sp. were found in 2 cases (0.3%). Of 34 house rats one showed egg-positive (2.9%). 7. Total 971 Radix auricularia coreana collected from 7 sampling stations were examined for shedding of cercariae. Three snails (0.3%) shed the cercariae of E. hortense. A total of 119 out of 542 freshwater fishes (22.0%) had the metacercariae of E. hortense. The fishes parasitized with the metacercariae were 4 out of 14 examined species. The infection rates of 4 species were 34.1% (106 out of 311) in Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, 30.4% (7 out of 23) in Misgurnus mizolepis, 4.3% (2 out of 46) in Moroco oxycephalus and 22.2% (4 out of 18) in Odontobutis obscura interrupta. In summarizing the above results, the first intermediate host of E. hortense was found as Radix auricularia coreana in Korea. Also, it took about 46 days for the shortest completion of a life cycle of E. hortense in summer; that is, 10 days for miracidial development in eggs, 15 days for cercarial development in the snail, about 10 days for metacercarial development in the second intermediate hosts, and 11 days for the maturation as the adults in the definitive hosts. The natural infection rates of E. hortense in the intermediate hosts were relatively high but those in the definitive hosts were low in the middle areas of South Hangang basin.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.203-212
• /
• 1989

The development of Echinestcma cinetorchis in several snail species reared in laboratory aquaria was observed. The eggs from adult cukes collected from the intestine of rats were cultivated to miracidia, and exposed to Hippeutis sp. snails. Observations were made for cercarial shedding from the exposed snails. The cercariae shed from the snails were again exposed to several species of fresh water snails in order to observe metacercarial formation in the snails and their infectivity to final hosts. The results obtained in this study were as follows: 1. Twenty miracidia were exposed to each snail of Hippeutis sp. About 58.3% of the above snails (7 out of 12) were dead before shedding the cercariae, anti the remainder shed the cercariae for a period of 7 to 9 days before death. 2. Cercarial shedding from the infected snails started from the 25th day after the exposure to mi.acidia, and the total number of cercariae shed per snail was 684 in average (range; 482-904). 3. The sixte of refine developed in the infected Hippeutis sp. snails was 1$, 242{\times}214{\;}{\mu}m$ in average, and the number of rediae per snail was 350 in average (range; 120-510). 4. About 40 to 50 cercariae shed from the Hippeutis sp. snails were each exposed to several species of snails reared in the laboratory. The metacercarial formation was confirmed by dissecting the infected snails, 12 to 16 days after the infection. The infectivity to each snail species was 100% in Hippeutis sp. (recovery rate; 56.7%) and Radix auricuzaria coreana (recovery rate; 66.4%), 66.7% in Physa acute (recovery rate; 37.5%), and 50% in Cipangopaludina sp. (recovery rate; 8.0%), respectively. 5. The swimming cercariae attached first at the cephalo-podial part of the snails and then migrated to the mantle, internal organ s and hemocele areas to form the metacercariae. 6. Adult worms of E. cinetorchis were obtained from the rats infected with the metacercariae encysted in the experimental snails. Summarising the above results, it is suggested that the mud-snail (Cipangopaludina sp.) may play an important role as a source of human infection with E. cinetorchis in Korea, and that several species of fresh water snails are involved in the life cycle as a second intermediate host.