Parasitic diseases are widely distributed throughout the world. Recently, travel abroad and migration from abroad are increasing in Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately control imported parasitic disease. The drugs for the treatment of the parasitic diseases that can be imported from abroad are reserved by the government. To guide proper treatment of parasitic diseases, recommended chemotherapy focused on these reserved drugs has been introduced. The diseases reviewed in this article include malaria, babesiosis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness, filariasis, angiostrongyliasis, and fascioliasis. Because most of the parasitic diseases produce severe illness or fatal results, rapid and accurate diagnosis is important and following fully the recommended therapy is needed. The recommended drug therapy changes from time to time due to various factors, so always recognizing and applying the latest therapy and is very important.
Animals ; Babesiosis ; Chagas Disease ; Fascioliasis ; Filariasis ; Korea ; Leishmaniasis ; Malaria ; Parasitic Diseases ; Strongylida Infections ; Toxoplasmosis ; Trypanosomiasis, African

OBJECTIVETo analyze the degrees on the epidemic foci of Angiostronglus cantonensis and to explore the measurement methods.

METHODSSnails (Pila gigas) were collected from the spots of Wenzhou, Cangnan, Yongjia, Yueqing in Zhejiang province and Minhou, Changle, Ningde in Fujian province. The snails were examined microscopically in order to calculate their infection rates and the average worm number in the positive snails, then taking the product of multiplication of both values as infestation index.

RESULTSThe infection rates of the epidemic foci were 10.59% (9/85), 60.74% (181/298), 34.96% (79/226), 32.90% (76/231), 57.50% (184/320), 40.00% (82/205), 17.65% (12/68) and the rates of infectivity were 6.57, 183.54, 121.73, 93.45, 276.36, 76.08, 12.65, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe epidemic foci were divided into five ranks (super, high, mid-range, low and non-epidemic foci) according to the value of infestation index which ranked from > 75, 30-75, 5-29, < 5 to 0.

Angiostrongylus ; pathogenicity ; Animals ; China ; Disease Outbreaks ; Snails ; parasitology ; Strongylida Infections ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the development of the study on Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

METHODSA total of 930 papers were searched from the PubMed and Chinese Bio-medical Disc(CBM) database under the search terms of Angiostrongylus cantonensis and analyzed through publication time, journal and contents.

RESULTSThe number of papers published was found to increase annually, and two peaks of publication in national magazines occurred since 1996. Most papers were published in tropical medicine or professional journal of parasitology. The reports mostly documented cases and epidemiological investigations, and only a few investigated pathogenic mechanisms, drug treatment and other basic theory.

CONCLUSIONIt is in the initial stage of the study on Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongyliasis, and there are a vast space in diagnosis, pathogenic mechanism, therapy and prevalence of Angiostrongyliasis cantonensis.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Animals ; Bibliometrics ; China ; epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Humans ; Strongylida Infections ; epidemiology

Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; isolation & purification ; Animals ; China ; Snails ; parasitology ; Strongylida Infections ; epidemiology

A 23-year-old female residing in a village of Cao Bang Province, North Vietnam, visited the Hospital of Hanoi Medical University in July 2013. She felt dim eyes and a bulge-sticking pain in her left eye for some days before visiting the hospital. In the hospital, a clinical examination, an eye endoscopy, and an operation were carried out. A nematode specimen was collected from the eye of this patient. The body of this worm was thin and long and measured 22.0x0.3 mm. It was morphologically suggested as an immature female worm of Angiostrongylus cantonensis. By a molecular method using 18S rRNA gene, this nematode was confirmed as A. cantonensis. This is the first molecular study for identification of A. cantonensis in Vietnam.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis/classification/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Eye/parasitology ; Eye Diseases/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Strongylida Infections/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Vietnam ; Young Adult

Angiostrongyliasis, caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, is a food-borne parasitic disease. Its larvae evoke eosinophilic inflammation in the central nervous system, but can also cause pathological changes in the eyes. Among ocular angiostrongyliasis cases, the incidence of optic neuritis is low and only few sporadic reports exist. Some patients with optic neuritis developed obvious hypopsia or even vision loss, which would seriously influence the quality of life of patients. Prompt treatment of optic neuritis caused by A. cantonensis is the key factor for minimizing the incidence of serious complications of this disease. In this review, we first provide a comprehensive overview of ocular angiostrongyliasis, and then focus on the clinical features of optic neuritis caused by A. cantonensis.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis/*isolation & purification ; Animals ; Asia/epidemiology ; Eye Diseases/*epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Optic Neuritis/*epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology ; Strongylida Infections/*epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology

OBJECTIVETo analyze the diagnostic value of larval excretory-secretory antigen in Angiostrongylus cantonensis (LESA) infection.

METHODSA.cantonensis larvae harvested from mice brain were cultured in vitro. The LESA and the adult worm antigens of A.cantonensis (AWA) were collected and analyzed using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Two ELISA systems were established using the two antigens (LESA-ELISA and AWA-ELISA) to detect the serum spectra from different sources.

RESULTSSDS-PAGE and Western blotting displayed fewer protein and antigen bands for LESA than for the adult antigen. Two distinct bands of LESA (with relative molecular masses of 40 000 and 26 000) showed reactivity with the sera from patients with A. cantonensis infection. The serum levels of IgG and IgM antibodies to LESA increased at the beginning of infection in mice, reaching the peak on day 5 after infection and decreased on day 10. Compared with AWA-ELISA, LESA-ELISA showed a lower seropositive ratio in suspected patients with A.cantonensis, with also a lower cross-positive ratio in patients with schistosomiasis and clonorchis sinensis.

CONCLUSIONLESA possesses fewer antigen reaction bands than AWA. Although with a slightly lower positive ratio than AWA, LESA has a higher specificity for detecting serum antibodies in suspected cases of A.cantonensis infection, and therefore shows a potential for the diagnosis of angiostrongyliasis especially in the early stage and in current infection.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; immunology ; Animals ; Antigens, Helminth ; immunology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Larva ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Strongylida Infections ; diagnosis ; parasitology

BACKGROUNDAngiostrongyliasis cantonensis is a worldwide-existing parasitic disease. However, the relevant reports on its radiological appearances are limited. In this study, we investigated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in a group of consecutive patients caused by human infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis after eating freshwater snails.

METHODSWe performed brain MR imaging on 74 patients with angiostrongyliasis cantonensis. The scanner was a 0.5T unit. For each patient MR pulse sequences of SE T1-weighted image (T1WI) and FSE T2-weighted image (T2WI) were used. After intravenous administration of gadolinium chelate (Gd-DTPA) repeated T1-weighted images were obtained. MRI features of the lesions in the brain and meninges were analyzed and recorded after observing initial and follow-up MR images. The classification of the types of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis infection was done on the basis of locations of the disorders.

RESULTSForty-one (55%) normal and 33 (45%) abnormal MRI appearances in the brain were found. According to locations of the disorders, the types of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis infection were determined as follows: seventeen cases of type meningitis, three of type myeloencephalitis, one of type neuritis and twelve of mixed type (eight of type ventriculitis and five of type pneumonitis were among them). In type meningitis, abnormal leptomeningeal enhancement was visualized. In type myeloencephalitis, lesions in the brain parenchyma may have iso- or slightly low signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. Enhanced nodules in various shapes were shown on gadolinium-enhanced T1WI, a few lesions appeared as crescent enhancements and some lesions did not reveal abnormal enhancement. Other than brain lesions, an enhanced nodule was seen in the cervical spinal cord in one patient. In type ventriculitis, brain ventricular enlargement was demonstrated. In type neuritis, a nodule and abnormal enhancement in the right optic nerve was revealed. In type pneumonitis, patchy ground-glass opacity and consolidative lesions at the periphery of the lungs were seen. Follow-up results indicated that most lesions in the brain could resolve in 2 to 8 weeks.

CONCLUSIONSAngiostrongyliasis cantonensis presented as both single type and mixed type. Nodular enhancing lesions in the brain and/or linear enhancement in the leptomeninges were the main findings, while crescent enhancement would be the characteristic sign of the disease on gadolinium-enhanced T1WI. Focal edematous changes without contrast enhancement in the brain could be seen on MRI in some cases.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Animals ; Eosinophilia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Meningoencephalitis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Middle Aged ; Snails ; parasitology ; Strongylida Infections ; complications

OBJECTIVETo improve the clinician's awareness of angiostrongyliasis.

METHODSThe clinical and laboratory data as well as the epidemiological information concerning 18 patients with eosinophilic meningoencephalitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis were analyzed.

RESULTSAll patients had a history of eating raw fresh water snail (Ampularium canaliculatus) before the onset of the disease. Incubation period ranged from 1 to 25 days. The major symptoms of the patients had severe headache and pain in the trunk and limbs. Increased eosinophlic count in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid was noted. Tested by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA), sera were specifically IgG-antibody positive against Angiostrougylus cantonensis antigen, but were negative against other parasitic antigens such as Paragonimus westermani, Cysticerus, Cellulosae hominis, Echinococcus granulosus and Trichinella spiralis. Abnormal spotty signals were found in 2 cases with brain magnetic resonance imaging. Electroencephalogram (EEG) showed slow alpha rhythm. All the patients were effectively treated with combined administration of albendazole and dexamethazone.

CONCLUSIONSAngiostrongyliasis is one of the common causes leading to eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. To our knowledge, Wenzhou is the first small outbreak site of angiostrongyliasis discovered in Chinese mainland.

Adult ; Albendazole ; administration & dosage ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Animals ; Dexamethasone ; administration & dosage ; Eosinophilia ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meningoencephalitis ; etiology ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Strongylida Infections ; complications ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo provide scientific basis for angiostrongyliasis cantonensis control and prevention in Beijing.

METHODSDescriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze angiostrongyliasis cantonensis reported from June to September in 2006.

RESULTS141 cases were treated at the Beijing Friendship Hospital with the peak in July (61 cases) and August (68 cases). All patients had dined at the same restaurant in Beijing city and they ate undercooked Pomacea canaliculata or related eatables. The source of Pomacea canaliculata was from Guilin in Guangxi. Major manifestations would include fever (56.79%), headache (93.83%), neck stiffness (100%), and skin paresthesia (77.78%). Some cases had significant eosinophil increase in peripheral blood picture and cerebrospinal fluid respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe source of infection related to angiostrongyliasis cantonensis was clear, suggesting that the improvement of restaurant sanitation and on awareness of personal hygiene were important preventive and control measures on angiostrongyliasis cantonensis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; pathogenicity ; Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Strongylida Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Young Adult