• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.201-207
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• 2015

This study aimed to investigate the infection status, worm development, and phylogenetic characteristics of the intestinal trematode, Stellantchasmus falcatus. The metacercariae of S. falcatus were detected only in the half-beak (Dermogenus pusillus) out of the 4 fish species examined. Their prevalence was 90.0%, and the intensity of infection was 919 metacercariae on average. Worms were recovered from 33 (97.1%) of 34 chicks that were experimentally infected with 200 S. falcatus metacercariae each, and the average recovery rate was 43.0%. The body size and inner organs of S. falcatus quickly increased in the experimental chicks over days 1-2 post-infection (PI). In addition, ITS2 sequence data of this parasite were analyzed to examine the phylogenetic relationships with other trematodes using the UPGMA method. The results indicated that the ITS2 sequence data recorded from trematodes in the family Heterophyidae appeared to be monophyletic. This study concluded that D. pusillus serves as a compatible second intermediate host of S. falcatus in Thailand and that S. falcatus can develop rapidly in the experimental chicks. Data collected from this study can help to close the gap in knowledge regarding the epidemiology, biology, and phylogenetic characteristics of S. falcatus in Thailand.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.313-322
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• 1995

Metosonimus yokosawai was found deeply invaded into the submucosa of the small intestine of mice (ICR) when they were immunosuppressed by prednisolone injection. Experimental groups consisted of control, fluke infection (1,800 metacercariae per mouse) and fluke infection plus immunosuppression. In fluke infection group, many worms were found sectioned in the intervillous space of the jejunum and ileum at 6 hrs, 12 hrs, and 1 day after infection, and pathological changes characterized by villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia were observed. After 3 days, only a few worms were found in intestinal sections, and after 7 days, the pathological changes became minimal. No worm was found penetrated beyond the mucosal layer. On the other hand, in immunosuppressed mice, numerous worms were found sectioned in the duodenum and jejunum, irrespective of the infection period up to 14 days. Pathological changes of the mucosa were minimal until 3 days after infection, but at 5 days marked destruction of the mucosal layer was observed. At this time many flukes were found invaded deeply into the submucosa facing the muscular layer. Despite continuous immunosuppression, the mucosal damage was gradually recovered at 7-21 days post-infection. The results showed that immunosuppression of ICR mice can induce, for a short perid of time, severe mucosal damage, and allow deep invasion of M. yokogcuwai into the submucosa of the small intestine.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.305-311
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• 2013

In this study, we found that Haplorchis taichui, a heterophyid intestinal fluke, is highly prevalent, with heavy worm loads, among riparian people in Saravane and Champasak province, Lao PDR. Fecal specimens were collected from 1,460 people (717 men and 743 women) in 12 riparian (Mekong river) districts and were examined by the Kato-Katz fecal smear technique. The overall helminth egg positive rate was 78.8% and 66.4% in Saravane and Champasak province, respectively. The positive rate for small trematode eggs (STE), which included H. taichui and other heterophyids, Opisthorchis viverrini, and lecithodendriids, was 69.9% and 46.3% in Saravane and Champasak province, respectively. To obtain adult flukes, 30 STE-positive people were treated with 40 mg/kg praziquantel and then purged. Whole diarrheic stools were collected 4-5 times for each person and searched for fluke specimens using a stereomicroscope. Mixed infections with various species of trematodes (H. taichui, Haplorchis pumilio, O. viverrini, Prosthodendrium molenkampi, Centrocestus formosanus, and Echinochasmus japonicus) and a species of cestode (Taenia saginata) were found. However, the worm load was exceptionally high for H. taichui compared with other trematode species, with an average of 21,565 and 12,079 specimens per infected person in Saravane and Champasak province, respectively, followed by H. pumilio (41.9 and 22.5, respectively) and O. viverrini (9.4 and 1.5, respectively). These results show that diverse species of intestinal and liver flukes are prevalent among riparian people in Saravane and Champasak province, Lao PDR, with H. taichui being the exceptionally dominant species.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 1985

An experimental study was performed to observe the in vivo effects of praziquantel on the light and scanning electron microscopic morphology of Fibricola seoulensis. The metacercariae were obtained from the snakes and 1, 000 in each number was orally given to total 15 albino rats; 5 controls and 10 treatment group. Seven days later the 10 rats were treated with 10 mg/kg praziquantcl and sacrificed 1~24 hours later to search for the worms from their small intestines. The major light microscopic changes in the drug-exposed worms were early contraction followed by relaxation of especially their forebody, vacuolization of the tegument and subtegumental parenchymal layers, and narrowing of the intestinal lumens. The scanning electron microscopic findings were characterized by formation of numerous blebs followed by rupture and subsequent destruction of their whole teguments. These results show that the change in worm body is not confined to the tegument but extends to deeper parenchymal portions and also occurs in their intestines. It is suggested that the drug uptake by the worms should be either through their tegument or through the digestive tract.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.679-691
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• 1993

As a series of studies to investigate the effect of immunosuppression on Ascaris suum infection in undefinitive hosts, a delicate relationship between host and parasite, rabbits were divided into experiment 1(control group) and experiment 2(immnunosuppressive group treated with prednisolone acetate) and inoculated with a single dose of 5,000 embryonated A suum eggs. The recovery rates, sizes and morphology of the larvae and immunological responses in the rabbits were chronologically monitored according to somatic migration. In both experiments, the larvae failed to develop into the adults, but young adults in the experiment 2 grew somewhat faster and survied later than those in the experiment 1. The mast cells of small intestinal mucosa and mesenteric lymph nodes and the goblet cells of small intestinal mucosa in the worm detected cases of experiment 2 decreased remarkably in number comparing with those of experiment 1. Considering the experimental results. the expulsion mechanism of somatic migrant larvae may he related to the temporary increasing tendency of the mast cells, the goblet cells, T-cells of mesenteric lymph nodes and spleens, eosinophils in peripheral blood, degranulation rates of peritoneal mast cells and the migration inhibition rates of leucocytes. In addition, patent infection of A suum in the rabbits was not obviously observed despite of immunosuppression by prednisolone acetate.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.201-204
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• 2014

This study was undertaken to characterize the properties of a 100 kDa somatic antigen from Metagonimus yokogawai. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against this 100 kDa antigen, and their immunoreactivity was assessed by western blot analysis with patients' sera. The mAbs against the 100 kDa antigen commonly reacted with various kinds of trematode antigens, including intestinal (Gymnophalloides seoi), lung (Paragonimus westermani), and liver flukes (Clonorchis sinensis and Fasciola hepatica). However, this mAb showed no cross-reactions with other helminth parasites, including nematodes and cestodes. To determine the topographic distribution of the 100 kDa antigen in worm sections, indirect immunoperoxidase staining was performed. A strong positive reaction was observed in the tegumental and subtegumental layers of adult M. yokogawai and C. sinensis. The results showed that the 100 kDa somatic protein of M. yokogawai is a common antigen which recognizes a target epitope present over the tegumental layer of different trematode species.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.1 s.137
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• pp.87-89
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• 2006

A 55-year old Korean man, living in Mokpo-city, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea, visited a local clinic complaining of right upper quadrant pain and indigestion. At colonoscopy, he was diagnosed as having a carcinoma of the ascending colon, and thus, a palliative right hemicolectomy was performed. Subsequently, an adult fluke of Gymnophalloides seoi was incidentally found in a surgical pathology specimen of the lymph node around the colon. The worm was found to have invaded gut lymphoid tissue, with characteristic morphologies of a large oral sucker, a small ventral sucker, and a ventral pit surrounded by strong muscle fibers. This is the first reported case of mucosal tissue invasion by G. seoi in the human intestinal tract.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.167-170
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• 2009

In November 2007, a 46-year-old male Thai patient presented with chronic abdominal pain for over 3 years. Colonoscopy revealed a small parasite of about $2{\times}1mm$ in size attached to the cecum mucosa. The worm was removed endoscopically, fixed, and stained for morphological observations. The specimen was identified as Anchitrema sanguineum (Digenea: Anchitrematidae), a trematode first reported in a reptile, Chamaeleo vulgaris, from Egypt, and then sporadically found in the intestines of insectivorous bats and other mammals. The patient was treated with praziquantel but no more worms were found in his stool. His symptoms improved slightly but not cured completely. It remains unclear whether the chronic abdominal pain of the patient was caused by this trematode infection. Whatever is the pathogenicity of this trematode, this is the first human case of A. sanguineum infection in the literature.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

History and current status of human taeniasis in the Republic of Korea, due to Taenia solium, Taenia asiatica, and Taenia saginata, are briefly reviewed. Until the 1980s, human taeniasis had been quite common in various localities of Korea. A study from 1924 reported 12.0% egg prevalence in fecal examinations. Thereafter, the prevalence of Taenia spp. ranged from 3% to 14% depending on the time and locality. Jeju-do, where pigs were reared in a conventional way, was the highest endemic area of taeniasis. An analysis of internal transcribed spacer 2 and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 genes of 68 taeniasis cases reported from 1935 to 2005 in Korea by a research group revealed the relative occurrence of the 3 Taenia spp. as follows: T. solium (4.4%), T. asiatica (75.0%), and T. saginata (20.6%). However, national surveys on intestinal helminths conducted every 5 years on randomly selected people revealed that the Taenia egg prevalence dropped from 1.9% in 1971 to 0.02% in 1997 and finally to 0.0% in 2004. With the exception of 3 egg-positive cases reported in 2008 and 2 worm-proven cases in 2011, no more cases have been officially recorded. Based on these surveys and also on other literature, it can be concluded that taeniasis has virtually disappeared from Korea, although a few sporadic cases may remain hidden. Human cysticercosis is also expected to disappear within a couple of decades in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 1993

Worm recovery rates and pathologic changes in small intestine of albino rats were observed after concurrent and challenge infections with metacercariae (MCI of Fibricota seouLensis and MetaBonimus vokogaupci, and compared with those of single Infection groups. Albino rats In concurrent Infection group were killed 20 days after feeding with 1,000 MC of each fluke. Rats in challenge. infection group were fed with 1.000 MC of f seouleni,s and challenged by 1,000 MC of M. yokogawai 10 days after primary infection, then killed 10 days thereafter. In concurrent infection group, mean number of F. seoulensis and M. yokogawai recovered, 250 and 118 respectively, were similar to those of single infection groups. However, more flukes were collected from the duodenum and less flukes were from the ileum than from single infection group. In challenge Infection group, the recovery rate of F. seoulensis was similar to that of sin91e infection group and the distribution of thIn flukes was similar to that of concurrent infection group. Mean number of M. yokogculat, 69, was signiflcantly lower than that of single infection group. Its distribution, however, extended to the duodenum and most of the flukes were recovered from the jejunum. In concurrent infection group, villi of the duodenum were more markely thickened, fused and shortened than those in F. seoulensis sing1e Infection group. The crypt epithelium appeared to be hyperplastic and inflammatory cell infiltration into the villous stroma was mild. Villous atrophy in the jrlunum and ileum was ndlder than in M. yokogawai single infection group. In challenge Infection group, the fhldlngs were simuar to those of concurrent Infection group. Crypt epithelium hyperplasla was not severe in duodenum. Inflammatory reaction was observed in submucosa of the Jrjunum and ileum. From the above results, it Is considered that F. seoulenis ikabiting in upper part of small intestine affect the settlement of M. yokoguwai introduced later In lower part of the intestine.