• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 1989

This study was performed to observe the susceptibility of dogs and cats as definitive hosts of Paragonimus ilektsuenensis. The metacercariae of this luke were obtained from Sesarma dehaani collected at a focus near the mouth of Sumjin river in November, 1986 and February, 1987. The larvae isolated from the crabs were introduced Per os into 7 albino rats, 2 dogs and 3 cats. The adults were recovered from the experimental animals, End they were morphologically observed and measured. The results were as follows: 1. The recovery rate of adult worms at 42 days after infection was 53.3% from three albino rats, 21.0% from a dog and 12.7% from two cats. Most of the worms were recovered from the worm capsules in the lungs. 2. The size of worms recovered from albino rats, a dog, and cats 42 days after infection aver-aged $6.3{\times}3.2mm,{\;}6.3{\times}3.0mm,{\;}or{\;}6.2{\times}3.5mm$, respectively. There were little differences in the morphology of worms by different experimental animals. 3. The size of eggs from a dog was $88.9{\times}49.3{\mu\textrm{m}}$, and that from cats was $84.3{\times}53.7{\mu\textrm{m}}$ on average. Dogs and cats were good definitive hosts of p. iloktsuenensis. This fact suggests that human infection by this luke may be possible if the metacercariae were ingested.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.57-60
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• 2020

During the mobile clinic activities in Tak Province, Thailand, Paragonimus sp. eggs were found in a fecal sample of a 72-year-old Karen resident. Paragonimus DNA was amplified from the stool sample and identified to P. heterotremus. The patient did not have any symptoms. Apparent pulmonary lesion was not found on the chest X-ray. The patient admitted habitual consumption of semi-cooked or roasted waterfall crabs for several years. The waterfall crabs collected from stream near the village were found negative for Paragonimus metacercariae. In northern Thailand, paragonimiasis remains as one of the public health concerns and should be ruled out for asymptomatic pulmonary patients.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2000

Eosinophils are important effector cells in host defense against parasites. Excretory-secretory product (ESP) produced by helminthic worms plays important roles in the uptake of nutrients, migration in the host tissue, and in immune modulation. However little is known about the ability of the ESP to directly trigger eosinophil apoptosis. This study investigated whether the ESP of newly excysted metacercariae of Paragonimus westermani could induce apoptosis in human eosinophils. Apoptosis was assayed by staining the cells with FITC-annexin V, and the cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. It was found that the ESP of newly excysted metacercariae of P. westemani induced a direct time- and concentration-dependent increase in the rate of constitutive apoptosis in mature human eosinophils. Eosinophil apoptosis was first apparent 3 hr after treatment with the ESP and continued to increase after 6 hr of incubation with respect to the cells cultured in the absence of the ESP. While only 2.8% of the eosinophils incubated in the medium for 3 hr were apoptotic, 7.6%, 10.9% and 22.6% of the eosinophils treated with 10. 30 and $100{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$ ESP were apoptotic, respectively. This result suggests that the ESP of newly excysted metacercariae of P. westermani directly induce eosinophil apoptosis, which may be important for the survival of the parasites and the reduction of eosinophilic inflammation in vivo.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.355-358
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• 1992

In early maturation stages of Paragonimus westermani (metacercariae, 4-, 8-, 12-week old worms), activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and glutathione peroxidase, were examined. Specific activity of catalase was the highest in metacercariae and decreasing with age. That of superoxide dismutase was higher in metacercariae and 4-week worms. Specific activity of peroxidase was at its peak in 4-week worms while that of glutathione peroxidase was in 8-week worms. Specific activities of all these antioxidant enzymes were decreased to their lowest in 12-week old adults.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.119-132
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• 2001

An immunoelectron microscopy employing immunogold labeling method was performed to detect tissue origin of Dl fraction (DIA) among 5 antigenic protein fractions partially purified by DEAE- anion exchange chromatography from water- soluble crude antigen (PIWA) of adult Paragonimus iloktsuenensis. Immune reactions of adult worm tissues with rabbit serum immunoglobulin immunized with crude antigen (PI-Ig) and D1 antigen (D1-Ig), as well as rat serum immunoglobulin infected with P. iloktsuenensis were observed. DlA showed strong antigenicity in the intestinal epithelium of the worms during the early infection period of 2-4 weeks after infection. The vitellaria also showed stronger antigenicity than the other tissue sites in immune reaction of tissues against all immunoglobulins from 4 to 33 weeks after vitelline development. Therefore, it is suggested that DlA was mainly originated from the intestinal epithelial tissues before the development of vitelline gland of the parasites. Immune-reactivity of two immunoglobulins (PI-Ig, Dl-Ig) was significantly different in intestinal epithelial cytoplasmic protrusions (CP) and intestinal epithelial secretory granules (SG). In the experimental group with Dl-Ig, gold particles were labeled significantly in CP than in SG when compared to the PI-Ig group. Thus, the major antigenic materials in Dl antigen having a strong antigenicity in the early infection period was considered to be originated from the intestinal epithelial tissue .

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.103-106
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• 2000

It is well known that the cysteine proteases in excretory-secretory product (ESP) of Paragonimus westermani newly excysted metacercariae (PwNEM) are capable of degrading IgG in vitro. Recent evidence suggests that the IgG-coated surface, such as found on parasites, is one of the most effective physiologic stimuli for granulocyte activation. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of excretory-secretory product (ESP) of PwNEM on superoxide production of granulocytes stimulated with IgG The 96-well plates were coated with human IgG (0, 10, 30, $100{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$) in the absence or presence of ESP. When granulocytes were incubated in the wells coated with human IgG in the presence of ESP, the level of superoxide production of granulocytes was reduced to about 90% when compared to the cells incubated in the wells coated with IgG alone. This inhibitory effect of the ESP on IgG-induced superoxide production of granulocytes was concentration-dependent. These results suggest that ESP secreted by PwNEM may be important in the control of effector functions of granulocytes stimulated with IgG in human paragonimiasis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.669-676
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• 2013

Lung fluke, Paragonimus heterotremus, is a flatworm causing pulmonary paragonimiasis in cats, dogs, and humans in Southeast Asia. We examined the ultrastructure of the testis of adult P. heterotremus with special attention to spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The full sequence of spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis, from the capsular basal lamina to the luminal surface, was demonstrated. The sequence comprises spermatogonia, spermatocytes with obvious nuclear synaptonemal complexes, spermatids, and eventual spermatozoa. Moreover, full steps of spermatid differentiation were shown which consisted of 1) early stage, 2) differentiation stage representing the flagella, intercentriolar body, basal body, striated rootlets, and electron dense nucleus of thread-like lamellar configuration, and 3) growing spermatid flagella. Detailed ultrastructure of 2 different types of spermatozoa was also shown in this study.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 1985

In this study, hybridoma techniques were applied to produce monoclonal antobodies to Paragonimus westermani, commonly known as lung distoma. Balb/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally every week with increasing doses of purfied protein of Paragonimus westermani adult worms begining with 0.3/mg/mouse/7 days and ending with 0.5mg at 28th day. Spleen cells from these immunized mice were hybridized with myeloma cells (NS-1) and the hybridized cells were selected in HAT media. The antibody secreting cells among the hybrid cells were initially selected by ELISA. Those initially selected cells were further screened by the criteria of antibody producing activity, and seneral cell lines among them were further tested with immunodiffusion method. One hybridoma clone produced IgM and another clone produced IgG1. The supernatant of the hybridoma clone producing IgM had titer 1:64 and the hybridoma clone producing IgG1 had titer 1:256 measured by immunofluorescence technique.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.285-287
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• 1999

Changes in the expression level of splenocyte $IFN-{\gamma}$mRNA of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats infected with Paragonimus westermani were analyzed by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by southern blot. The template RNA was extracted from the splenocytes of rats infected with 20 metacercariae of P. westermani. The products of competitive RT-PCR were subjected to southern blot and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL), and analyzed with a densitometer. In comparison with that of uninfected control rat splenocytes (value of 1), the levels of mRNA expression of $IFN-{\gamma}$had changed to 0.747 at 1 week post infection (PI), 0.00175 at 2 week PI, 0.0217 at 3 week PI, 0.194 at 4 week PI and then to 0.537 at 5 week PI. The level at 7 week PI had returned to 1.25, comparable with that of uninfected rats. These results show that, when infected with p. westermani, the levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ mRNA of SD rat splenocytes were remarkably reduced by more than 500 times at 2 week PI and restored to normal level at 7 week PI.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 2011

Paragonimiasis is an infectious disease caused by trematodes of the genus Paragonimus. This trematode can be treated successfully with praziquantel in more than 90% of the cases. Although praziquantel is generally well tolerated, anaphylactic reactions to this drug have been reported in a few cases. We report here a 46-year-old Korean female with paragonimiasis, presumed to be due to Paragonimus westermani, who displayed an allergic reaction to praziquantel and resistance to triclabendazole treatment. The patient was successfully treated with praziquantel following a rapid desensitization procedure. Desensitization to praziquantel could be considered when no alternative drugs are available.