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The host susceptibility of Malaysian Paragonimus westermani was observed in cats, dogs and rats, infected with metacercariae.In rats, worms were harboured in the muscles and the flukes were morphologically similar to the excysted metacercariae except for their slightly larger body size. In cats, about a half number of the flukes were recovered from muscles and 40% from cysts found in the lungs. Majority of the flukes from these cysts were mature. In dogs, few mature flukes were obtained from cysts in the lungs and about 90% of flukes were recovered from muscles. The flukes from the muscles of cats and dogs were of the same juvenile stage as those from rats. The juvenile flukes recovered from muscles of the animals were orally given to dogs and cats. Majority of the flukes were found in cysts in the lungs and most of them were fully mature.However, some juvenile flukes still remained in the muscles of cats and dogs. Therefore, the Malaysian P. westermani has a higher final host susceptibility than those from other localities. The present study suggests that many species of animals living in Malaysian jungle serve as paratenic hosts and may play an important role in the completion of the life cycle of P. westermani in Malaysia.

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Abstract:During July and August 1985, a field survey on the lung fluke was carried out at six localities in the peninsular Malaysia. A total of 1,009 fresh-water crabs belonging to eight species were examined and Paragonimus westermani metacercariae were found in four species of the crabs, Parathelphusa maculata from Kuala Pilah and Ulu Langat, Parathelphusa malaysiana, Johora tahanensis and Irmengardia pilosimana from Sungai Wa. The three species of crabs except Parathelphusa maculata are recorded as new crustacean hosts of P. westermani. Parathelphusa maculata harboured more than 60% of the total metacercariae in the muscle, 20-25% in the gills and about 10% in the liver, but no metacercariae were found in the heart. In contrast, a substantial number of metacercariae parasitized the heart of the crab, Parathelphusa malaysiana.

Rodents, particularly those belonging to the family Muridae, form the largest group of mammals in Malaysia. They are also a group that has been well studied because of their medical and economic importance. Yet, comparatively little is known, in Malaysia, about the helminths that are associated with them; far less the types of terrain in which these are prevalent. An attempt is now made to survey the nematodes parasitic in these rodents, with a view to assessing the potential risk from those that are harmful to man and domestic animals, and to studying those that are harmless, but nevertheless form an enlightening contribution to the knowledge of Malaysian parasitic fauna.