Paragonimosis in the Cajabamba and Condebamba districts, Cajamarca, Peru

Abstract

SUMMARYStool samples from 409 pre-school and school students, living in six villages of the Cajabamba and Condebamba districts, Cajamarca, Perú, were examined using wet preparations and Lumbreras¢ method, looking for Paragonimus eggs. Fecal and sputum samples from two children (0.5%) of 6 and 8 year-old showed eggs of Paragonimus. One hundred and twenty freshwater crabs, Hypolobocera chilensis eigenmanni, were collected from the Condebamba valley and 21 (17.5%) of them were infected with P. mexicanus (syn. P. peruvianus) metacercariae. Our results show the persistence of Paragonimus in human beings and in the main source of infection, the crabs.

A tool for mass-screening of paragonimiasis: an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with urine samples

“…Paragonimiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several lung fluke species in the genus Paragonimus . Infections of the flukes have been mainly reported from Asian countries [ 1 – 5 ], but emerging cases have also been reported from African [ 6 , 7 ] and American countries [ 8 , 9 ], where people eat the intermediate hosts, fresh water crabs, and crayfish containing metacercariae or meat of the reservoir hosts containing immature flukes. About 23 million people around the world are estimated to be infected with the lung flukes [ 10 ].…”

EVALUACIÓN CLÍNICA DE PARAGONIMIOSIS EN GATOS INFECTADOS EXPERIMENTALMENTE CON Paragonimus mexicanus.

“…La infección de los hospederos definitivos, entre ellos el hombre, ocurre al ingerir cangrejos de río, crudos o mal cocidos, que se encuentran infestados con metacercarias de P. mexicanus (Cornejo et al, 2000). Luego de la ingestión, las metacercarias migran a través del peritoneo y el diafragma hasta llegar al pulmón y, ocasionalmente, a otros órganos, donde se alojan y se transforman en adultos.…”