Authors carried out the experimental study to investigate whether the Paragonimus westermani would uptake the blood in the parasitic definitive host, and also tried for the amount and distribution of the blood which would be harbored in a worm body, and so on. Experimental animals used in this study were dogs and cats, and they were infected with metacercariae of P. westermani. Several months later of the infection, Cr(51) tagged red blood cells were administered to each animal, and the animals were sacrificed and autopsy was done after 24 or 48 hrs of the administration. One part of the detected P. westermani adult worms of each animal were bred in Tyrode's solution and the others were killed by fixing in formalin solution. By Well-type scintillation counter, the radioactivities were measured for the alive and killed worms and of the blood of each experimental animal which was collected at autopsy . In conclusion, it was found that P. westermani worms uptake blood in parasitic definitive host, and amount of the blood harboring in a worm of 56 infection-days(size of worm; 4 x 3 x 1 mm) was 0.002 ml, 0.004 or 0.005 ml in 103 infection-days(size of worm: 8 x 5 x 3 mm) and 0.011 ml in 217 infection-days(size of worm: 9 x 7 x 4 mm). Almost of the whole blood uptaked in the worms was distributed in intestine. It was observed that the blood uptaked in the worm body was excreted continuously through the excretory pore, so that the radioactivity could not measured almost completely in cases of 24 hrs-breeding worms.
parasitology ; helminth ; trematoda ; Paragonimus westermani ; metabolism ; biochemistry ; red blood cell ; Cr(51) ; Tyrode's solution

This study was undertaken to find out the possibility of iron-deficiency anemia by the intestinal blood loss in massive infection cases of T. trichiurus. Among the children of a community in which the whipworm infections were highly prevalent, 7 cases were selected whose E.P.G. of whipworm ova were more than 1,000. The hematological findings and estimated blood loss using (51)Cr were undertaken. The results could be summarized as follows: The E.P.G. and E.P.D. of T. trichiurus ova in studied 7 cases were 10,500-37,200/gm of feces and 0.90-5.14 million/day respectively. Findings of hematological examination were in lower limit of normal in hemoglobin content and hematocrit. And erythrocytes were neither microcytic nor hypochromic. Differential count of leucocytes showed persistently low grade of eosinophilia. Serum iron content measured by modification of Barkan method showed subnormal value in 5 out of 7 cases. Erythrocyte radioactivity half disappearance time(T1/2) and intestinal blood loss were estimated using (51)Cr-tagging erythrocytes. And the results showed that T1/2 were shortened (13-19 days ) in all cases and the blood loss was 0.94-6.54 ml/day which were correlated with worm burden (E.P.D.) significantly. From the above results, it could be concluded that intestinal blood loss of T. trichiurus heavy infection were actually occurred but the amount of losses were easily compensated.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Trichocephalus trichiurus ; Trichuris trichiura ; anemia ; intestine ; hematology ; Cr(51)