A human case of Plagiorchis muris (Tanabe, 1922: Digenea) infection in the Republic of Korea: freshwater fish as a possible source of infection.

ABSTRACT

A Korean man was found infected with Plagiorchis muris and 2 other intestinal trematodes, Echinostoma hortense and Metagonimus takahashii. No complaint of gastrointestinal discomfort due to these fluke infections was noted. The patient had a history of eating various kinds of freshwater fish caught from a small stream near his village. Freshwater fish collected from the stream were examined for trematode metacercariae by an artificial digestion technique. Unidentified metacercariae collected were administered to a Sprague-Dawley rat. One P. muris adult was recovered from the small intestine of the rat on day 8 postinfection. Thus, freshwater fish of the genera Liobagrus, Puntungia, and Odontobutis are a probable source of infection for this patient.