PARASITOLOGY LABORATORY 6 – Lung Flukes

USTMED ’07 Sec C – AsM; Photos provided by JV.N.

Paragonimus westermani ova

PARAGONIMUS WESTERMANI

CLASSIFICATION

- Trematode

DISEASE

- Paragonimiasis, Oriental lung fluke infection

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

- Asia

LOCATION IN HOST

- encapsulated in parenchyma of lung

Paragonimus westermani
MORPHOLOGY

- Adult worms: These thick, robust, ovoid flukes,

measuring 7.5-12.0 mm by 4-6 mm, are hermaphroditic,
with a lobed ovary located anterior to two branched
testes. The testes lie side by side in the posterior part of
the body.
- Eggs: The moderately large, broadly ovoid, thick-
shelled, golden-brown eggs are unembryonated when
passed in sputum or in feces. The eggs may measure 80-
120 u by 45-70 u. At the abopercular (?) end of the egg, Paragonimus westermani Adult
the shell is somewhat thickened.

LIFE CYCLE

- Unembryonated eggs passed in feces enter the water

and undergo development to the miracidial stage. The
egg hatches and the miracidium must find an
appropriate freshwater snail intermediate host.
Following a developmental period of two to three
months, cercariae emerge from the snail and come in
contact with various crustaceans, such as crabs and
crayfish, penetrating into the viscera and musculature,
and encysting to the metacercarial stage. Infection is
acquired by ingestion of raw, infected crustaceans.
- In the mammalian host, the metacercariae migrate from
the intestine through the body cavity and the diaphragm
where they then enter the parenchyma of the lung.
Adult worms become encapsulated in lung tissue, usually
two worms per each capsule. The prepatent period is
five to six weeks, and adult worms may live for up to 20 HETERPHYSE HETEROPHYES
years.
Heterophyes heterophyes
DIAGNOSIS

- Detection of eggs in feces or in sputum

- Diagnostic problems. – the eggs of this species
frequently are confused with the eggs of the broad fish
tapeworm, Diphyllobothrium latum. However, the eggs
of the latter are smaller (58-75 u long by 40-50 u) and
they have an abopercular knob on the shell. In
Paragonimus, the abopercular end of the thickened shell
has no knob.
METAGONIMUS YOKOGAWAI
COMMENTS
Metagonimus yokogawai
- It now is well recognized that a number of Paragonimus
species may parasitize humans, and almost all of these
occur in canine or feline reservoir hosts. P. westermani
matures in dogs and cats. The other species of
Paragonimus have been described from various parts of
southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The eggs of
these other species, though varying in size, have
generally similar morphology.

Paragonimus westermani, Eggs. ECHINOSTOMA ILOCANUM

Echinostoma ilocanum

The eggs of the lung fluke, P. westermani, are large, have a moderately
thick dark shell, a prominent operculum at the broad end, and a thickened
abopercular end. They are unembryonated when discharged from the body
in feces or in sputum. These eggs illustrate the wide variation in shape that
is characteristic of the species.
Paragonimus westermani (more slides)

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