Pulmonary paragonimiasis: clinical and experimental studies

Abstract

Pulmonary paragonimiasis is a disease caused by a lung fluke. It is endemic to East Asia, but there have been several case reports in North America. Human infestation occurs by ingestion of raw or incompletely cooked freshwater crab or crayfish infected with metacercaria. A retrospective study was performed with 78 patients who lived in South Korea and had chest radiographic findings of pleuropulmonary disease; it was subsequently shown that they had paragonimiasis. The diagnosis was based on positive results of serologic tests for Paragonimus-specific antibody or on the detection of eggs in sputum samples. Radiologic findings from these 78 patients were correlated with the pathologic and radiologic findings from a study of experimentally induced pulmonary paragonimiasis in 21 cats. Findings from the correlative study document that the typical radiologic manifestations of pulmonary paragonimiasis vary with the stage of the disease. Early findings include pneumothorax or hydropneumothorax, focal airspace consolidation, and linear opacities and are caused by the migration of juvenile worms. Later findings include thin-walled cysts, dense masslike consolidation, nodules, or bronchiectasis and are due to worm cysts.