• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 1993

An epidemiological study of Metogonimus infection was undertaken along the upper reaches of the Nmhn River, with special consideration on the species (type) of the worms collected from humans. Eggs of Metogonimus spp. were detected from 15 (9.7%) of 154 people examined in Umsong-gun, and from each Infected person (5 cases) 6.015- 24,060 worms (mean 13,2331 were recovered after treatment with praziquantel (10 mg/kg). Eggs were also detected from 37 (48.1% of 77 people In Yongwol-gun, from whom (27 casesl 1-4,965 worms (mean 1,2151 were collected. The worm from Umsong-gun consisted of both Metagonimus Miyata type and Metagonimus takohashii, whereas those from Yongwol-gun consisted of only Metqsonimus Miyata type. When the uterine eggs of the two kinds and M. yokogawoi (obtained from people In Tamjin River basin) were morphologically compared, it was suggested that the egg size should be a good Indicator for discrlmination of the species or type. The source of human Infection was proved to be fresh water fleshes: 49 of 52 Znsco plntvpus examined, 6 of 8 Hemibcrbus loniroskis, 13 of 15 Pseunogobio esuinl:, 4 of 6 Odontobutis obscura intemfptn, and 17 of 18 Corqssiw carassiw were found Infected with Metosonimw metacercariae. From the results, it is concluded that the upper reaches of the Namhan River are endemic foci of Metogonimn Miyata type and M. takahashii.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.297-304
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• 1995

To evaluate the feasibility of irradiation as a control measure for metagonimiasis, the metacercariae of Metagonimus yokogcwni were irradiated with gamma ray, either after isolation from the sweetfish (Plecoglossus cltivelis) or in situ of the fish, and their survival and development in rats were observed at 7 days post-infection. The radiation dose varied from 5 to 100 Gy for the metacercaria-irradiation group and from 5 to 500 Gy for fish-irradiation group. The results showed that the worm recovery rate from the irradiation groups decreased as the radiation dose was increased. Higher doses of radiation were required for the fish-irradiation group to obtain the same results as the metacercaria-irradiation group. The LD50 of the metacercaria-irradiation group was 4.5 Gy, whereas that of the fish-irradiation group 6.2 Gy A few number of worms which survived until 7 days in rats were severely retarded especially in the growth of their reproductive organs, j.e., complete or partial failure in the development of testes and formation of uterine eggs . The present study revealed that irradiation of sweetfish by 200 Gy is effective to control infectivity as well as development of M. vokogawai metacercariae in rats.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.289-291
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• 2008

The Tamjin River which flows from Jangheung-gun via Gangjin-gun to the South Sea was reported to be a highly endemic area of Metagonimus yokogawai infection in 1977 and 1985. However, there were no recent studies demonstrating how much change occurred in the endemicity, in terms of prevalence and worm burden, of metagonimiasis in this river basin. Thus, a small-scale epidemiological survey was carried out on some residents along the Tamjin River basin in order to determine the current status of M. yokogawai infection. A total of 48 fecal samples were collected and examined by the Kato-Katz thick smear and formalin-ether sedimentation techniques. The egg positive rate of all helminths was 50.0%, and that of M. yokogawai was 37.5%, followed by C. sinensis 22.9% and G. seoi 4.2%. To obtain the adult flukes of M. yokogawai, 6 egg positive cases were treated with praziquantel 10 mg/kg in a single dose and purged with magnesium sulfate. A total of 5,225 adult flukes (average 871 specimens per person) of M. yokogawai were collected from their diarrheic stools. Compared with the data reported in 1977 and 1985, the individual worm burdens appeared to have decreased remarkably, although the prevalence did not decrease at all. It is suggested that the endemicity of M. yokogawai infection along the Tamjin River has been reduced. To confirm this suggestion, the status of infection in snail and fish intermediate hosts should be investigated.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 1991

The present study intended to evaluate the influences of MetagonimMi yokogawai on the activities of brush border membrane bound enzymes of the small intestine. Mice were infected with 500 metacercariae respectively, and the worm recovery, morphological changes and enzyme activities were observed chronologically. A part of them were followed after the treatment. Recovered worms decreased in number continuously after the infection, and they were less than 10% after 2 weeks and almost Bero after 28 weeks. Villous atrophy and stromal inflammation were found at two locations of the proximal jejunum from 2 weeks to 4 weeks after the infection. The enzymes, alkaline phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase and disaccharidases (sucrase, lactase, maltase, and trehalase), showed lowered activities in the duodenum and proximal jejunum of the infected mice but they increased in the distal jejunum for the first two weeks. From three weeks after the infection, the activities were gradually recovered. In one week treated mice, they recovered the activities at 2 weeks from the treatment, but there found no differences of the activities between the 3 week treated group and infected controls. The present data reveal that M. yckogawai infection induces degenerative changes of the host's intestinal mucosa not only morphologically but functionally during the initial phase of infection. The lowered enzyme activities in acute metagonimiasis should be associated with malabsorption and diarrhea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.325-338
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• 1991

The present study was undertaken to determine the endemicity of trematode infections in Yongyang County, Kyungpook Province, Korea. One hundred and seventy-seven out of 955 residents examined were found to be infected with one or more kinds of helminthes. The prevalence rate was 18.5%. Among them, 70 were found to be infected with Clenorchis sinensis, 74 with Meta-gonimus sp. and 2:l with both flukes. The eggs of Fasciolidae were demonstrated from two specimens. The prevalence rate of clonorchiasis in males was 12.6%, while that in females was 3.6% (p<0.05). The prevalence of metagonimiasis in males was 12.0% and was also significantly higher than 6.1% in females (p<0.05). The intensity of both infections was significantly heavier in males than in females. The prevalence of both nukes was higher in residents of oyer 30 years of age than in those below that age. No correlation was found between the intensity and the age group. Among eight species of the fresh-water fish collected at the Panbyon River, Zacco temmincki was found to be the most frequently and heavily infested with metacercariae of Metagonimus sp., and Gnathopogon asromaculatus alone was found to be infested with metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis. The present results suggest that Yongyang area still remains endemic with Clonorchis sinensis and Metagonimus sp. infection.

• 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.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.116-186
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• 1983

An epidemiological study on Clonorchis sinensis infection along the Nam-river (total length ; 186km) flowing in Gyeongsang-nam-do, southern part of Korea, was carried out. Formalin-ether concentration technique and Stoll's egg counting method were employed to figure out the prevalence of C. sinensis infection. For the detection of cercariae from Parafossarulus sp., the snail host of C. sinensis, each snail was placed in aerated tap water, and examined for expelled cercariae. For observing the metacercariae the fresh water fish favorably eaten in raw conditions wore prepared by means of pressing the muscles between two slide glasses and/or by digesting them with artificial gastric juice. The fresh water fish were fed to the rabbits to get the worms and to identify the morphology of adult C. sinensis. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Overall Prevalence of C. sinensis infection was 38.75 from 5,291 examinees; 44.15 (1,408 out of 3,196) in male and 30.4% (637 out of 2,095) in female. 2. The prevalence rates were 42.0% at the upper stream, 41.2% around the vicinity of Jinyanglake, 34.2% at Jinju city, 34.2% at middle stream and 40.3% at down stream regions, respectively. 3. By age, the highest positive rate (53.4∼54.3%) was observed in 30 to 59 years of age. In this age group, the rate in males was 59.7∼62.2%, and in females 42.2∼44.4%, In the age group of less than 19 years it was 7.5∼20.9%. 4. By social strata, the positive rate was 16.5% in the primary school children, 22.6% in school students, 46.2% in teachers and local officers and 49.6% in the general inhabitants. 5. The quantitative examinations with the stool collected from clonorchiasis cases revealed that the light infection (less than 4,000/EPG) was 53.6%, moderate infection (4,001∼10,000 /EPG) 30.3% and heavy infection (more than 10,001/EPG) 16.1%, respectively. More than half of total cases examined were light infection, and 73.2% of female examinees were lightly infected with this cuke. 6. The average value of EPG was 4,963 (male, 6,057; female, 2,557 and the highest value was obtained from the age group of 30 to 59 years (5,240∼6,454). 7. The prevalence of Metagonimus yokogawai infection in humans was 5.5%, and 89.8% of metagonimiasis cases wore double-infected arith C. sinensis. The highest prevalence rate was observed in Jinju city (11.2%). 8. Total of 5,005 Parafossarulus sp., the snail intermediate host of C. sinensis, were examined for the detection of cercariae. The cercarial expulsion rate was 0.34%, and the snails collected in Jin-yang-lake side and in the down stream expelled mainly the cercariae of C, sinensis. 9. About 788 cercariaejday (range: 127∼1,503) were expelled daily from a snail naturally infected with C. sinensis. The snails which released more than 1,000 cercariae/day were 30.8% out of total collected. A snail uniquely released 5,840 cercariae/day in this study. 10. The other trematode cercariae besides C. sinensis were also detected, and the rates out of total snails were the cercariae of Losogenes liberum 6.71%, Cyathocotyle orientalis 0.26%, Notocotylus attenuatus 2.52% and Mucobucaris 0.54%, 11. Ten out of 18 species of fresh water fish caught along the river harbored the metacercariae of C, sinensis. The highest rate of metacercarial infection in fish was detected in Pseudorasbora larva (85.9%). The fish mainly eaten by the inhabitants along the Nam-river, and the metacercarial infection rates were: Zacco platypus 8.0%, Hemibarbus sp. 18.2∼26.7%, Gnathepcgcn sp. 37.5%, Ischikauia steenackeri 42.9% and Pseudogobio esocinus 16.7%. 12. Out of 36 P. larva, the number of metacercariae were about 109 (ranEe; 18∼446) per fish and 27 per gram of flesh. The fish caught in spring harbored the highest number of metacercariae. As indicated above, the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in the inhabitants residing around the Nam-river was relatively high. The farther toward the upper stream areas, the higher was the positive rate of C. sinensis infection, and most of clonorchiasis cases were lightly infected. The snail hosts of C. sinensis distributed all around the Nam-river. Several species of freshwater fish were infected with the metacercariae of C. sinensis and the infection rates were relatively high. To prevent C. sinensis infection in the endemic areas, the effective health education system is suggested as a control measure, although mass treatment is also expected to be useful, using chemotherapeutic agents such as "praziquantel", a recently developed anthelminthic for C. sinensis inftraction.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.203-213
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• 1985

The in situ posture of anterior body of Metagonimus yokogawai was observed in experimental metagonimiasis of dog. The metacercariae were collected from naturally infected sweetfish by peptic digestion; a total of 8 dogs was orally infected with 10,000 metacercariae respectively. Two dogs were killed on 3 days, 9 days, 4 weeks and 10 weeks after the infection. The postures of worms in histological section of small intestine and of whole worms collected from the fixed intestinal mucosa were examined by light and scanning electron microscope. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The recovery rates of worms were 42.6% on 3 days, 55.0% on 9 days, 33.2% on 4 weeks and 9. 8% on 10 weeks after the infection respectively. 2. In histological sections of small intestine, most of worms were found at intervillous spaces as ovoid sections of posterior body. However, many worms, especially in 3 day-old worms, revealed protruded anterior body in glandular lumens of crypt. Some sections of anterior body were bifurcated or sacculated. 3. The worms collected from fixed intestinal mucosa under dissecting microscope exhibited a variety of postures. Many worms showed flat shapes with a concavity or curvatures. However, in many worms, the anterior body made a single or multiple protrusions. 4. By SEM observation of protruded anterior body, a longitudinal groove was found. 5. The frequency of worms with protruded anterior body decreased in 9 days, 4 weeks and 10 weeks than in 3 day-old worms. The above findings indicated that the anterior body of juvenile and adult M. yokogawai protruded to lumens of glandular crypt by folding their lateral portions to make a reversible tubelike structure. Frequent multiple protrusions were considered to be made to adapt the microniche of glandular crypts of dog intestine.