Infection status of freshwater crabs and crayfish with metacercariae of Paragonimus westermani in Korea.
The present study investigated the infection status of Paragonimus westermani metacercariae in freshwater crabs (n = 363) and crayfish (n = 31) from October 2007 to October 2008 using the crush method. All of the freshwater crabs, Eriocheir japonicus, were negative for P. westermani metacercariae while 10 (32.3%) of the 31 examined crayfish were positive. The 10 positive crayfish were caught in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, and there were 8-59 (mean 28.4) metacercariae per infected crayfish. These results suggest that P. westermani metacercariae are still transmitted by crayfish enzootically in southern Korea, and that freshwater crabs may transmit metacercariae only on rare occasions.
Kim
Eun-Min
EM
Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
Kim
Jae-Lip
JL
Choi
Sung-Il
SI
Lee
Soon-Hyung
SH
Hong
Sung-Tae
ST
D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000469:parasitology*; D003386:Brachyura / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D010237:Paragonimiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D048492:Paragonimus westermani / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence