[A cluster of paragonimiasis westermani infections in Thai immigrants].
We report a cluster of infections in four female Thai immigrants aged between 35 and 49 years who developed paragonimiasis westermani within 16 months of ingesting freshwater crabs purchased from a market in Japan. Their symptoms included cough, bloody sputum, chest pain, and dyspnea. Radiographic and CT findings comprised pleural effusion, pneumothorax, air-space consolidation, and nodular opacities. Paragonimus eggs were identified in the feces of one patient, and in the pleural effusion and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of another. All diagnoses of paragonimiasis westermani were established by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of their serum. Paragonimiasis is a re-emerging disease in Japan. Moreover, since the number of immigrant patients is increasing, it is necessary to pay attention to infectious diseases resulting from their eating habits as well as imported diseases.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Fuchu Hospital.
Yusuke
Y
Takagi
Tetsuya
T
Kashiyama
Kentaro
K
Sakashita
Tetsuya
T
Obara
Keitaro
K
Nakamoto
Hiroyuki
H
Amano
Syuji
S
Hatakeyama
Maki
M
Miyamoto
Kengo
K
Murata
Akihiko
A
Wada
Eriko
E
Narisawa
Mikio
M
Takamori
Akira
A
Fujita
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010237:Paragonimiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D048492:Paragonimus westermani; D013785:Thailand / Q000208:ethnology