Paragonimus kellicotti
| Paragonimus kellicotti | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Class: | Trematoda |
| Order: | Plagiorchiida |
| Family: | Paragonimidae |
| Genus: | Paragonimus |
| Species: | P. kellicotti
|
| Binomial name | |
| Paragonimus kellicotti Ward, 1908
| |
Paragonimus kellicotti, the North American lung fluke, is a species of
Morphology
Paragonimus kellicotti parasites have dorsoventrally flattened, brown, oval-shaped bodies. They are soft-bodied parasites with oral and ventral suckers that are relatively similar in size. They use their ventral suckers to attach to a host. Their tegument is covered with spines, which is a characteristic that sets them apart among other Paragonimus species. Lung flukes are hermaphroditic, having both the female and male organs. Thus, they are able to self-fertilize.[1]
Habitat
Early larval stages are found in snails and later move on to crustaceans, primarily crawfish and crabs. P. kellicotti parasites may live in fresh or salt water. Thus, they may be found within hosts of swamp, coastal, or forest areas.
Development
Lung fluke eggs are passed through feces or soil. Eggs then hatch into miricidia within three weeks. A miricidium infects the primary host, snails. Within snails, the miricidium develops into a
Infection
Infections of P. kellicotti affect 21 million people worldwide. However, humans rarely become infected in North America. The frequent victims of this infection in North America are small animals that feed on
Signs of infection
Several diagnostic signs indicate a lung fluke infection. These include a
Treatment
A P. kellicottii treatment in humans consists oral medication of praziquantel over a minimum of three days to achieve a 100% cure rate [3] when the parasite is located in the lungs. Other ectopic infections may require surgical removal. Surgery does not guarantee all larvae will be removed.
References
- Fischer, Peter U.; Curtis, Kurt C.; Marcos, Luis A.; Weil, Gary J. (June 2011). "Molecular characterization of the North American lung fluke Paragonimus kellicotti in Missouri and its development in Mongolian gerbils". Am J Trop Med Hyg. 84 (6): 1005–11. PMID 21633042.
- Lane MA, Barsanti MC, Santos CA, Yeung M, Lubner SJ, Weil GJ (2009). "Human paragonimiasis in North America following ingestion of raw crayfish". Clin Infect Dis. 49 (6): e55–61. PMID 19681705.
- Lane MA, Marcos LA, Onen NF, Demertzis LM, Hayes EV, Davila SZ, Nurutdinova DR, Bailey TC, Weil GJ (August 2012). "Paragonimus kellicotti flukes in Missouri, USA". Emerg Infect Dis. 18 (8): 1263–7. PMID 22840191.