Cerebral cysticercosis is the most common worldwide parasitic infection of the central nervous system. Intraventricular involvement is apparent in 15% to 28.8% of cases with neural compartment infestation.' Although different forms of the disease (parenchymatous, subarachnoid, and mixed form ) have been treated successfully with chemotherapy, direct surgical excision of simple cystic lesions appears to be an adequate primary therapeutic strategy in the majority of intraventricular forms. In recent years, however, some authors have advocated the use of anthelmintic treatment in all cases of intraventricular cysts so that surgical procedures of the posterior fossa and their potential complications can be avoided. The strict definition for managing the spectrum of intraventricular infestation remains controversial. We present our experience in the treatment of a patient with primary isolated intraventricular cysticercosis.
Albendazole ; therapeutic use ; Anthelmintics ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Neurocysticercosis ; therapy ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt

Sparganosis is an infection with a parasitic tapeworm larva that occurs by eating infected foods or drinking contaminated water. The larvae can migrate to a tissue or muscle in the chest, abdominal wall, extremities, eyes, brain, urinary tract, pleura, pericardium, spinal canal, or scrotum. Herein, we report a 5-month old infant with scrotal sparganosis who was initially suspected to have a scrotal inflammatory mass with a history of applying raw frog meat into the umbilicus. Preoperative ultrasound examinations and computed tomography (CT) scanning misdiagnosed the mass as a scrotal teratoma. The scrotal mass was surgically removed, and the histopathology proved it to be scrotal sparganosis. This case displays the youngest patient ever reported with scrotal sparganosis, and the first description of CT characteristics of scrotal sparganosis. A detailed medical history is necessary for patients with scrotal masses suspected of sparganosis. In addition, ultrasound and CT examinations are helpful to rule out other causes of a scrotal mass.
Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Praziquantel/therapeutic use ; Sparganosis/*diagnosis/*pathology/therapy

Three cases of cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) were diagnosed in a returnee from a trip to Thailand and in 2 domestic farmers during July and September, 2003. The linear and serpiginous skin lesions on the lower extremities were presented in all 3 cases. Routine laboratory findings were normal. In the imported case, a 650 x 30 micrometer sized filariform nematode larva, presumably a species of hookworm, was detected in the lesion. All cases were treated with 400 mg albendazole once daily for 3-5 days, and their skin lesions gradually improved. In the present study, a causative agent of CLM was isolated for the first time in the Republic of Korea. Moreover, we speculate that CLM is prevalent in farmers who are in frequent contact with soil in the Republic of Korea.
Middle Aged ; Male ; Larva Migrans/*diagnosis/drug therapy/*pathology ; Humans ; Female ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Albendazole/therapeutic use ; Aged ; Adult

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) is a rare serpiginous cutaneous eruption caused by accidental penetration and migration in the skin with infective larvae of nematode that normally do not have the human as their host. Although CLM has a worldwide distribution, the infection is most frequent in warmer climates. More recently, they have been increasingly imported from the tropics or subtropics by travelers. We experienced two patients who had pruritic serpiginous linear eruption in their skin for a few weeks after traveling to the endemic areas (Brazil and Thailand, respectively). After the treatment with albendazole, the skin lesions resolved with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. We report herein two cases of cutaneous larva migrans successfully treated with albendazole.
Adult ; Albendazole/therapeutic use ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Human ; Larva Migrans/*drug therapy/pathology ; Male ; *Travel ; Treatment Outcome

A 69-year-old Korean man was admitted to emergency room with complaints of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Laboratory tests revealed eosinophilia, anemia, hypoproteinemia, and hyponatremia. The gastric mucosa showed whitish mottled and slightly elevated lesions on the body angle of antrum. Microscopically, chronic gastritis with incomplete intestinal metaplasia was observed. Many adult worms, larvae, and eggs in cross sections were located in the crypts. Furthermore, the filariform larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis with a notched tail were detected through the culture.
Aged ; Albendazole/therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Intestines/parasitology ; Korea ; Male ; Strongyloides stercoralis/*isolation & purification ; Strongyloidiasis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/parasitology

The present study observed the resistance to reinfection with Clonorchis sinensis in various experimental animals including mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and dogs, as well as rats and hamsters. The resistance rates to reinfection in rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and dogs were 79.7%, 58.0%, -12.6%, 54.8%, 62.6%, and 6.0%, respectively. Worms recovered from reinfected rats and mice were immature, and significantly smaller than those from the primarily infected (P < 0.01), whereas those from other animals were fully matured to adults. These findings indicate that the protective response against reinfection with C. sinensis is prominent in rats and mice, and that they may be a good animal model to investigate the mechanism of resistance to reinfection with C. sinensis.
Rats ; Rabbits ; Praziquantel/therapeutic use ; Mice ; Guinea Pigs ; Dogs ; Cricetinae ; Clonorchis sinensis/immunology/*physiology ; Clonorchiasis/drug therapy/immunology ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Animals, Laboratory/immunology/*parasitology ; Animals

No abstract available.
Abdomen/pathology ; Animals ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Bronchi/pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paragonimiasis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/parasitology ; Paragonimus westermani/isolation & purification ; Praziquantel/therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Human toxocariasis is a helminthozoonosis due to the migration of Toxocara species larvae through human organism. Humans become infected by ingesting either embryonated eggs from soil (geophagia, pica), dirty hands or raw vegetables, or larvae from undercooked giblets. The diagnosis relies upon sensitive immunological methods (ELISA or western-blot) which use Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens. Seroprevalence is high in developed countries, especially in rural areas, and also in some tropical islands. The clinical spectrum of the disease comprises four syndromes, namely visceral larva migrans, ocular larva migrans, and the more recently recognized "common" (in adults) and "covert" (in children) pictures. Therapy of ocular toxocariasis is primarily based upon corticosteroids use, when visceral larva migrans and few cases of common or covert toxocariasis can be treated by anthelmintics whose the most efficient appeared to be diethylcarbamazine. When diagnosed, all of these syndromes require thorough prevention of recontamination (especially by deworming pets) and sanitary education.
Animals ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Helminth/blood ; Biological Markers/blood ; Diethylcarbamazine/therapeutic use ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Human ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; *Larva Migrans, Visceral/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Toxocara/immunology

Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE), a hepatic disorder that resembles liver cancer, is a highly aggressive and lethal zoonotic infection caused by the larval stage of the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. E. multilocularis is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere; the disease-endemic area stretches from north America through Europe to central and east Asia, including northern parts of Japan, but it has not been reported in Korea. Herein, we represent a first case of AE in Korea. A 41-year-old woman was found to have a large liver mass on routine medical examination. The excised mass showed multinodular, necrotic, and spongiform appearance with small irregular pseudocystic spaces. Microscopically, the mass was composed of chronic granulomatous inflammation with extensive coagulation necrosis and parasite-like structure, which was revealed as parasitic vesicles and laminated layer delineated by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain. Clinical and histologic features were consistent with AE. After 8 years, a new liver mass and multiple metastatic pulmonary nodules were found and the recurred mass showed similar histologic features to the initial mass. She had never visited endemic areas of AE, and thus the exact infection route is unclear.
Adult ; Albendazole/*therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anthelmintics/*therapeutic use ; Echinococcosis, Hepatic/*diagnosis/drug therapy/surgery ; Echinococcus/isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Liver/*pathology/radiography ; Recurrence ; Republic of Korea ; Treatment Outcome ; Zoonoses

Sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by migrating plerocercoid tapeworm larva of the genus Spirometra. Infection in humans is mainly caused by the ingestion of raw or inadequately cooked flesh of infected frogs, snakes, and chickens. Here, we report a rare case of a 45-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital with left lower chest pain. The chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT) scan revealed localized pleural effusion in the left lower lobe; further, peripheral blood eosinophilia and eosinophilic pleural effusion were present. Percutaneous catheter drainage was performed, which revealed long worm-shaped material that was identified as a sparganum by DNA sequencing. The patient showed clinical improvement after drainage of the sparganum. This study demonstrates the importance of considering parasitic diseases in the differential diagnosis of eosinophilic pleural effusion.
Animals ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Eosinophilia/*etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pleurisy/*etiology ; Praziquantel/therapeutic use ; Sparganosis/*complications/diagnosis ; Sparganum/*isolation & purification