To observed whether the specific IgG antibody test using ELISA was useful in diagnosis of presently ill patients of paragonimiasis, a total of 95 sera were tested. The sera were collected from 21 egg positive cases, 8 from positive reactors of intradermal test, 7 from Clonorchis infected, 9 from other parasitic diseases and 50 from apparently non-infected cases. By the result, the sensitivity of the test was 86% and the specificity was 100%. There were no cross reactions between Paragonimus antigen and other parastic infections. Specific IgG antibody test by micro-ELISA was concluded to be useful for mass screening of the presently ill paragonimiasis in the field.
parasitology-helminth-cestoda ; Spirometra sp. ; sparganum ; sparganosis ; immunology ; diagnosis ; ELISA

The 8th Korean case of human thelaziasis was recorded with the description of the most probable source of infection of the case. The patient was 23-year-old Korean Army soldier who had been in mountainous vicinity of Seoul for 6 months and complained of moving foreign body sensation, photophobia and epiphora of the left eye during past 7 days before the ophthalmological consultation. Total 3 worms were removed from the eye, two by a friend, one by the ophthalmologist. The latter one waS parasitologically identified as a female worm of Thelazia callipaeda. The dogs in the military compound were examined and one eye of them was found to be infected with 11 male and 20 female of oriental eye worms under the nictitating membrane. The significance of dog as a reservoir host of T. callipaeda infection was discussed.
Animals ; Dogs ; Female ; Foreign Bodies ; Friends ; Humans* ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Nictitating Membrane ; Photophobia ; Sensation ; Seoul ; Thelazioidea ; Young Adult

We report herein a human sparganosis that presented confusing features in aspect of its correct identification, The patient was 35-year-old man who had a past history of eating fried frogs since 3 years prior to his first admission in 198I. Three mature Sparganum mansoni and 69 encapsulated spargana pieces were excised from his left inguinal area, left thigh and scrotum by three consecutive operations in 19 months. The encapsulated spargana were irregular in shape and size and mummified. They were identified histopathologically as degenerated spargana by no sexual organs and many calcareous bodies in the parenchyma. Differentiation of our case from proliferating sparganosis caused by Spargarrum proliferum was discussed.
Adult ; Eating ; Humans ; Scrotum ; Sparganosis* ; Sparganum ; Thigh

An acephalic budding Cysticercus of 1.2 cm long was removed surgically at the abdominal wall of a Korean man. The worm revealed abnormal buds on the bladder wall and absence of suckers and hooklets in the scolex body. The buds were of two histologic types; branching bud covered with normal tegumentum and with subtegumental cells of normal density, and buds of proliferated subtegumental cells with lacunae formation. On the bases of the morphologic features, it was identified as a racemose cysticercus. This case confirms that its extracranial location is possible.
parasitology-helminth-cestoda ; Taenia solium ; cysticercus ; case report

Racemose cysticercosis, which is almost exclusively found in intracranial cavity in vary rare occasions, was recognized in a 54-year-old Korean woman. Brain CT revealed a large lobated cystic mass without marginal enhancement, in the right frontotemporal lobe, together with irregularly distributed calcified spots in the parietal area. A 5x6x7cm sized irregularly lobated mass in the subarachnoid space, containing 38ml of xanthochromic fluid was removed. Pathologically the cyst was a racemose cysticercus without scolex. The serum and CSF of the patient showed positive reaction with antigen of Cysticercose celluosae by micro-ELISA for their specific IgG antibody. After the surgery, the patient was treated with Praziquantel for remaining worms(as revealed by calcified spots on brain CT). Follow-up examinations showed improvement in both clinical symptoms and brain CT findings, but Cysticercus-specific IgG antibody level did not fall to normal for 1 year. The rarity of racemose cysticercus infection, together with evidences of concomitant occurrence with C. cellulosae warranted one's case report.
Brain ; Cysticercosis ; Cysticercus* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Middle Aged ; Praziquantel ; Rabeprazole ; Subarachnoid Space

In order to demonstrate autoradiographically the sites of serotonin metabolism in the brain, DL 5-HTP and DL 5-HTP-C14 were intraperitoneally administered to healthy adult mice. In order to distinguish histochemically serotonin-like substances which have staining characteristics similar to the enterochromaffin cells of the gastrointestinal tract, serotonin-releaser reserpine was administered intravenously to healthy adult rabbits. A stripping film technique for autoradiography, a ferric ferricyanide reduction test by Schmorl, and a Gomori-Burtner methenamine silver staining method for argentaffin cells were used in this study. In the brain tissues of mice treated with 5-HTP, it was observed that the cytoplasm of the nerve cells, of the cerebral cortex had blue positive staining substances by the ferric ferricyanide technique. In similar tissue sites in mice treated with 5-HTP-C14, a number of blackened-par-ticles reduced by beta rays were easily found. especially in the cytoplasm of nerve cells and neuroglia cells. It is suggested that the serotonin precursor, DL 5-hydrox-ytryptophan is metabolized the cerebral tissue, and serotonin is synthesized also in the nerve cells and the neuroglia cells.
5-Hydroxytryptophan/diagnostic use ; Animals ; Brain/*metabolism ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Injections, Intravenous ; Mice ; Reserpine/diagnostic use ; Serotonin/*metabolism ; Staining and Labeling

To observe the antigenic protein fractions in saline extract of Spirometra mansoni plerocercoid (sparganum), the crude extract was separated in reducing conditions of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE). The proteins, transferred by electrophoresis to nitrocellulose paper, were reacted with sera from 15 surgically confirmed sparganosis and 24 cysticercosis patients for immunoblotting. Out of 30 identified protein bands in the extract, bands of 29 and 36 kilodaltons (kDa) were the strongest and the most frequently reacting with specific antibody (IgG) in sparganosis sera. Bands of higher molecular weight also reacted with the sera but their frequency of reactions was lower. Sera of cysticercosis reacted with different protein bands in saline extract of sparganum, but the cross reactions were observed in strong antigenic bands of 29 and 36 kDa.
parasitology-helminth-cestoda ; Spirometra mansoni ; plerocercoid ; sparganum ; antigen ; proteins ; sparganosis ; immunoblot ; immunology ; protein

The applicability of micro-ELISA was evaluatd in human neuro-cysticercosis using paired samples of serum and CSF. A total of 355 cases who were mostly neurologic patients was subjected. Cystic fluid of C. cellulosae was used as antigen in protein concentration of 2.5 micro-g/ml. Serum was diluted to 1:100 and CSF was undiluted in the assay for the specific IgG antibody level. The differential criterion of the positive reaction was the abs. of 0.18 in both samples. The results were summarized as follows: The overall sensitivity of the micro-ELISA in 71 confirmed neurocysticercosis was 90.1%; the sensitivity by serum was 77.5% and that by CSF was 83.1%. CSF was a more sensitive and valuable material. Most of the false negative cases of neuro-cysticercosis showed far lower level of abs. rather than marginal. The overall specificity of the micro-ELISA in 52 confirmed other neurologic diseases was 88.5% ; the specificities by serum and by CSF were 94.2% respectively. Cases of other neurologic diseases did not show false positive reactions in both samples. When serum was assayed, taeniasis(2/18), sparganosis(2/20), paragonimiasis(1/56), clonorchiasis(1/15) and fascioliasis(1/1) cases showed cross reactions. When CSF was assayed, 2 of 10 neuro-sparganosis showed cross reactions while none of 9 neuro-paragonimiasis showed it. Out of 71 confirmed neuro-cysticercosis cases, 6 and 11 showed cross reactions by serum and CSF to crude extract antigen of sparganum; but no case did show it to crude extract antigen of Paragonimus westermani. Ventricular CSF showed low or negative levels of IgG antibody than lumbar CSF unless the lesion was at the lateral ventricle itself. Out of 4 racemose cysticercosis cases, 3 showed positive reaction in serum while all of 3 examined CSF were positive. The above results indicated that the serological test for detecting the specific IgG antibody by micro-ELISA using paired samples of serum and CSF was very helpful for clinical differentiation of neuro-cysticercosis from neurologic diseases of other causes.
parasitology-helminth-cestoda ; immunology ; Taenia solium ; cysticercus ; enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay ; serum ; cerebrospinal fluid ; IgG