A scanning electron microscopic study was performed on the surface ultrastructure of Pygidiopsis summa (Digenea: Heterophyidae) adults. Metacercariae were collected from gills and muscles of mullets (Mugil cephalus) caught in a known endemic area, and adult flukes were harvested from dogs after 8 weeks of experimental infection. The worm was calabash form with its posterior part broader than the anterior part. Tegumental spines were densely distributed over the body surface, except on the suckers and genital apparatus, and around the excretory pore. Well differentiated spines were observed on the anterior half of the body, with 14-16 tips ventrally, and 19-20 tips dorsally. On the oral sucker, three pairs of type I sensory papillae (uni-ciliated knob-like swellings) and one pair of type II sensory papillae (aciliated round-swellings) were observed on the anterior and posterior parts of the lip, respectively. On the lip of the ventral sucker, one pair of type II sensory papillae was distributed only on its posterior part. Sperms were seen emerging from or entering into the genital apparatus. The results showed that the surface ultrastructure of P. summa was unique among the heterophyid trematodes, especially in digitation of tegumental spines and in distribution of sensory papillae on oral and ventral suckers.
Animals ; Dogs ; Heterophyidae/*ultrastructure ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning

We investigated the optimal culture conditions for Cryptosporidium muris in a human stomach adenocarcinoma (AGS) cell line by determining the effects of medium pH and of selected supplements on the development of C. muris. The optimum pH of the culture medium required for the development of C. muris was determined to be 6.6. The number of parasites significantly increased during cultivation for 72 hr (p < 0.05) at this level. On the other hand, numbers decreased linearly after 24 hr of incubation at pH 7.5. When cultured in different concentrations of serum, C. muris in media containing 5% FBS induced 4-7 times more parasites than in 1% or 10% serum. Of the six medium supplements examined, only 1 mM pyruvate enhanced the number of C. muris in vitro. Transmission electron microscopic observation showed the developmental stages of C. muris in the cytoplasm of the cells, not in an extracytoplasmic location. The growth of C. muris in AGS cells provides a means of investigating its biological characteristics and of testing its response to therapeutic agents. However, a more optimized culture system is needed for the recovery of oocysts on a large scale in vitro.
Adenocarcinoma ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cryptosporidium/*growth & development ; Culture Media ; Human ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Stomach/*parasitology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

A 36-year old Korean woman consulted a clinic for a regular gynecological examination, and a mass was noticed in her pelvis. She was referred to the Asan Medical Center, Seoul where transvaginal ultrasonography confirmed a pelvic mass exceeding 10 cm in diameter. She received total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingoophorectomy, and a borderline serous neoplasm with micropapillary features involving the left ovary and right ovarian serosa was histopathologically confirmed. In addition, a section of a nematode with numerous eggs was found in the parenchyma of the left ovary. The worm had degenerated but the eggs were well-preserved and were identified as those of Enterobius vermicularis. She is an incidentally recognized case of ovarian enterobiasis.
Adult ; Animals ; Enterobiasis/diagnosis/*parasitology/pathology ; Enterobius/isolation & purification ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Ovarian Diseases/diagnosis/*parasitology/pathology ; Ovary/parasitology ; Parasite Egg Count

BACKGROUND: Although human parasitic infestations have decreased generally in Korea, Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, Cysticercus and Sparganum are still a serious concern due to their relatively high prevalence and severe complications. A definitive diagnosis, however cumbersome and occasionally invasive, is required in order to detect adult worms, eggs, or cysts. The parasite-specific IgG antibody (PSA) test using the ELISA method has been recently developed to diagnose and monitor the infestations of those four parasites. We analysed PSA positive patients for Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, Cysticercus and Sparganum. METHODS: The serum samples referred to the Neodin Medical Institute for PSA were tested by the ELISA method using crude extracts of C. sinensis, P. westermani, Sparganum and cystic fluid of Cysticercus. The PSA results during the 7-month period from January to July 2001 were retrospectively analysed. The medical records of the patients at Asan Medical Center (AMC) with positive PSA were reviewed with stool examinations for parasites, skin tests for C. sinensis and P. west-ermani, radiological findings and antiparasitic management. RESULTS: A total of 865 specimens were tested for PSA and 84 samples (9.7%) of 76 patients were positive; C. sinensis, Cysticercus, Sparganum, and P. westermani were positive in 26 patients (3.0%), 26 (3.0%), 14 (1.6%) and 10 (1.2%), respectively. 26 specimens from 18 AMC patients were positive for one or more PSA; 6 Cysticercus. 4 C. sinensis, 5 Sparganum and 3 P. westermani. All PSA-positive cases for Cysticercus, C. sinensis and P. westermani were compatible with the clinical diagnosis; however, it was difficult to elucidate in the clinical correlation of 3 out of 5 Sparganum-positive cases. CONCLUSION: Cysticercus, C. sinensis and P. westermani are currently prevalent in Korea. Positive PSA ELISA tests for Cysticercus, C. sinensis and P. westermani are reliable indicators in diagnosing present infestations among the clinically suspected patients.
Adult ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Clonorchis sinensis* ; Complex Mixtures ; Cysticercus* ; Diagnosis ; Eggs ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Ovum ; Paragonimus westermani* ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin Tests ; Sparganum*

The intestinal histopathology and in situ postures of Gymnophalloides seoi (Digenea: Gymnophallidae) were studied using C3H/HeN and C57BL/6 mice as experimental hosts; the effects of immunosuppression were also observed. The metacercariae isolated from naturally infected oysters, 300 or 1,000 in number, were infected orally to each mouse, and the mice were killed at days 3-21 post-infection (PI). In immunocompetent (IC) mice, only a small number of flukes were found in the mucosa of the duodenum and jejunum during days 3-7 PI, with their large oral suckers pinching and sucking the root of villi. The intestinal mucosa showed mild villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia, and inflammations in the villous stroma and crypt, with remarkable goblet cell hyperplasia. These mucosal changes were almost restored after days 14-21 PI. In immunosuppressed (IS) mice, displacement as well as complete loss of villi adjacent to the flukes was frequently encountered, otherwise the histopathology was generally mild, with minimal goblet cell hyperplasia. In these mice, numerous flukes were found, and it seemed that they were actively moving and rotating in situ. Several flukes were found to have invaded into the submucosa, almost facing the serosa. These results indicate that in IC mice the intestinal histopathology caused by G. seoi is generally mild, and the flukes do not penetrate beyond the mucosa, however, in IS mice, the flukes can cause severe destruction of neighboring villi, and some of them invade into the submucosa.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Immunocompromised Host ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/*parasitology/pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa/parasitology/*pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Trematoda/*pathogenicity ; Trematode Infections/*parasitology/pathology

The prevalence of parasitic infections was investigated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients (n = 105) who visited Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea, during the period from 1995 to 2003. Fecal samples were collected from 67 patients for intestinal parasite examinations, and sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 60 patients for examination of Pneumocystis carinii. Both samples were obtained from 22 patients. Thirty-three (31.4%) of the 105 were found to have parasitic infections; Cryptosporidium parvum (10.5%; 7/67), Isospora belli (7.5%; 5/67), Clonorchis sinensis (3.0%; 2/67), Giardia lamblia (1.5%; 1/67), Gymnophalloides seoi (1.5%; 1/67), and Pneumocystis carinii (28.3%; 17/60). The hospital records of the 11 intestinal parasite-infected patients showed that all suffered from diarrhea. This study shows that parasitic infections are important clinical complications in HIV-infected patients in the Republic of Korea.
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*parasitology ; Adult ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; HIV Infections/*complications ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parasitic Diseases/*epidemiology ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The antigenic characterizations and serological reactions of human liver flukes, Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini, were analyzed by immunoblot. The antigenic profiles of the crude extract of Clonorchis contained major proteins of 8, 26-28, 34-37, 43, and 70 kDa, and those of Opisthorchis 34-37, 43, 70, and 100 kDa. Of these, the 8, 26-28 and 34-37 kDa bands of Clonorchis and the 100 kDa of Opisthorchis were major components of each excretory-secretory antigen. The 8 and 26-28 kDa bands were specific to Clonorchis but the 100 kDa of Opisthorchis cross-reacted with the sera of clonorchiasis, and the 34-37, 70 and 100 kDa bands cross-reacted with sera of other helminthiases. The frequency and intensity of the immunoblot reactions were positively correlated with the intensity of the liver fluke infection.
Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/analysis/*chemistry/immunology ; Clonorchiasis/*diagnosis ; Clonorchis sinensis/*immunology ; Cross Reactions ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/veterinary ; Humans ; Immunoblotting/veterinary ; Molecular Weight ; Opisthorchiasis/*diagnosis ; Opisthorchis/*immunology

Lymphatic filariasis due to Brugia malayi infection was endemic in several areas of South Korea. The infection was controlled, or disappeared, in most areas, with the exception of the remote southwestern islands of Jeonranam-do, including the Heugsan Islands. To discover its current situation, a small-scale survey was performed on the Heugsan Islands in September 2000. A total of 378 people, 151 male and 227 female, living in 8 villages (6 on Daeheugsan-do, 1 on Daejang-do, and 1 on Yeongsan-do) were subjected to a night blood survey for microfilaremia, and physical examination for elephantiasis on the extremities. There were 6 (1.6%) microfilaria positive cases, all in females aged 57-72 years, and from only two villages of the Daeheugsan-do area. There were 4 patients with lower leg elephantiasis, but they showed no microfilaremia. The results show that a low-grade endemicity of filariasis remains on the Daeheugsan-do.
Aged ; Animals ; Brugia malayi/*isolation & purification ; Elephantiasis, Filarial/*epidemiology ; Female ; Geography ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence

The egg morphology of minute intestinal flukes (MIF) that can occur as human infections in the Republic of Korea, i.e., Metagonimus yokogawai, M. miyatai, M. takahashii, Heterophyes nocens, Heterophyopsis continua, Stellantchasmus falcatus, Stictodora fuscata, Pygidiopsis summa, and Gymnophalloides seoi, was studied in comparison with Clonorchis sinensis. The adult worms were obtained from residents of endemic areas, and their intrauterine eggs were studied and measured using light microscopy; the length, width, length-width ratio (LWR), and Faust-Meleney index (FMI). Several specimens were processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and before gold-coating, the uterine portion of each fluke was etched with a sharp pin in order to expose the eggs. The MIF eggs were ovoid, pyriform, or elliptical with a size range of 21-35x12-21 microm. S. fuscata eggs revealed the highest FMI (largest in the area) and lowest LWR, whereas P. summa eggs showed the lowest FMI and medium LWR. SEM revealed that G. seoi and S. fuscata had remarkably clean shell surface lacking the muskmelon-like structure which is prominent in C. sinensis eggs. In Metagonimus spp., H. continua, H. nocens, and S. falcatus eggs, minute surface ridges were recognizable though less prominent compared with C. sinensis. On the surface of P. summa eggs, thread-like curly structures were characteristically seen. The results revealed that important differential keys for MIF eggs include the length, width, area (FMI), shape of the eggs, and the extent of the muskmelon-like structure or ridges on their shell surface and operculum.
Animals ; Feces/*parasitology ; Female ; Microscopy ; Republic of Korea ; Trematoda/*classification/isolation & purification/ultrastructure ; Uterus/cytology ; Zygote/classification/ultrastructure

We studied on the proteomic characteristics of Toxoplasma gondii KI-1 tachyzoites which were originally isolated from a Korean patient, and compared with those of the well-known virulent RH strain using 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), mass spectrometry, and quantitative real-time PCR. Two-dimensional separation of the total proteins isolated from KI-1 tachyzoites revealed up to 150 spots, of which 121 were consistent with those of RH tachyzoites. Of the remaining 29 spots, 14 showed greater than 5-fold difference in density between the KI-1 and RH tachyzoites at a pH of 5.0-8.0. Among the 14 spots, 5 from the KI-1 isolate and 7 from the RH strain were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and database searches. The spots from the KI-1 tachyzoites were dense granule proteins (GRA 2, 3, 6, and 7), hypoxanthine-guanine-xanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGRPTase), and uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase). The spots from the RH strain were surface antigen 1 (SAG 1), L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), actin, chorismate synthase, peroximal catalase, hexokinase, bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHTR-TS), and nucleoside-triphosphatases (NTPases). Quantitative real-time PCR supported our mass spectrometric results by showing the elevated expression of the genes encoding GRA 2, 3, and 6 and UPRTase in the KI-1 tachyzoites and those encoding GRA 7, SAG 1, NTPase, and chorismate synthase in the RH tachyzoites. These observations demonstrate that the protein compositions of KI-1 and RH tachyzoites are similar but differential protein expression is involved in virulence.
Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; *Proteomics ; Protozoan Proteins/chemistry/*genetics/metabolism ; Toxoplasma/chemistry/*genetics/*growth & development/metabolism ; Toxoplasmosis/parasitology