The first human case of Clinostomum complanatum (Trematoda: Clinostomidae) infection in Korea

Abstract

The authors present the first human case of Clinostomum pharyngitis in Taegu, Korea. The patient was a 56-year old male who visited an otolaryngology clinic due to foreign body sensation and pain of the pharyngeal region for 3-4 days. He used to eat raw fresh-water fish. Otolaryngological examinations revealed a living worm adhered to the right posterior pharyngeal wall. The worm removed was identified as C. complanatum after morphological observations. It is likely that more attention should be paid to eating raw fresh-water fish in Korea with regards to Clinostomum pharyngitis.

A Human Case of Clinostomum complanatum Infection in Korea

“…In comparison with the surface morphology, the tegument is devoid of surface spines in the present case. This is corresponded with the first Korean case reported by Chung et al [5]. However, the sectioned worm displayed a distinctively hirsute appearance on its outer surface of the tegument under light microscopy.…”

“…Human infections are known to be resulting from eating raw freshwater fish. In Korea, a previously reported human case occurred in an otherwise healthy 56-year-old man from Taegu in 1994 [5]. The present case, therefore, constitutes the second documented case of clinostomiasis in Korea.…”

“…The worm retrieved from a human was 4.5 mm long and 1.8 mm wide at day 2 after infection [10]. It grows to be 4.74 mm long and 1.05 mm wide at days 3-4 [5], and 5.17 mm long and 2.00 mm wide at day 7 [9]. At day 30 after infection, it grows up to 7.00 mm long and 2.43 mm wide [12].…”

The helminth community ofGeophagus proximus(Perciformes: Cichlidae) from a tributary of the Paraná River, Ilha Solteira Reservoir, São Paulo State, Brazil

“…Tiewchaloern et al (1999) reported the presence of Clinostomum sp. in the eye of a Thai man, and Chung et al (1995) found C. complanatum parasitizing the pharynx of a man in Korea. In Brazil, there are no reports of infection with these trematode metacercariae in humans.…”

A Case of Endoscopically Treated Laryngopharyngitis Resulting fromClinostomum complanatumInfection

“…2,3 The first Korean case of human infection was published in 1995; two additional cases have been reported to date. [4][5][6] C. complanatum is a parasitic flatworm-known as a fluke-that remains in an encysted resting state (metacercaria) inside its second intermediate host, causing an infection in the final host. 7,8 Although an infection by C. complanatum is extremely rare in humans, laryngopharyngitis can occur when raw fish (i.e., the second intermediate) is ingested (i.e., the final host).…”