Infection with Paragonimus westermani of boar-hunting dogs in Western Japan maintained via artificial feeding with wild boar meat by hunters.

Infection of boar-hunting dogs with Paragonimus westermani was investigated in Western Japan. Blood and rectal feces were collected from 441 dogs in the three districts (205 in Kinki, 131 in Chugoku and 105 in Shikoku District). In a screening ELISA for serum antibody against P.

Depressor effect of chymase inhibitor in mice with high salt-induced moderate hypertension.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether long-term high salt intake in the drinking water induces hypertension in wild-type (WT) mice and whether a chymase inhibitor or other antihypertensive drugs could reverse the increase of blood pressure. Eight-week-old male WT mice were supplied with drinking water containing 2% salt for 12 wk (high-salt group) or high-salt drinking water plus an oral chymase inhibitor (TPC-806) at four different doses (25, 50, 75, or 100 mg/kg), captopril (75 mg/kg), losartan (100 mg/kg), hydrochlorothiazide (3 mg/kg), eplerenone (200 mg/kg), or amlodipine (6 mg/kg). Control groups were given normal water with or without the chymase inhibitor.

Evaluation of the MGL method to detect Paragonimus eggs and its improvement.

Dog feces containing 500 Paragonimus westermani eggs per gram were examined by the Medical General Laboratory (MGL), the simple sedimentation (SS), and the Army Medical School III (AMS III) methods. The number of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) obtained by the MGL method was 17.2 and was significantly lower than those obtained by the SS method (324.

Paragonimus paishuihoensis metacercariae in freshwater crabs, Potamon lipkei, in Vientiane Province, Lao PDR.

Among Paragonimus species, P. paishuihoensis is one of the most mysterious and poorly understood species. Metacercariae are characterized by having a unique dendritically branched excretory bladder.

Rapid identification of paragonimiasis foci by lay informants in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Background: Paragonimiasis is a food-borne trematodiasis leading to lung disease. Worldwide, an estimated 21 million people are infected. Foci of ongoing transmission remain often unnoticed.

Morphological differences and molecular similarities between Paragonimus bangkokensis and P. harinasutai.

Paragonimus bangkokensis and Paragonimus harinasutai were found one after another in the same crab host, Potamon smithianus, in Thailand in 1967 and 1968. Both species were also recently found in China and Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). Those two Paragonimus spp.

Discovery of Paragonimus westermani in Vietnam and its molecular phylogenetic status in P. westermani complex.

Paragonimus westermani is the most well-known species among the genus Paragonimus. It is widely distributed in Asia with considerable genetic diversity to form P. westermani species complex.

Discovery of Paragonimus proliferus in Northern Vietnam and their molecular phylogenetic status among genus Paragonimus.

During an epidemiological survey for Paragonimus and paragonimosis in northern Vietnam, we found extremely large excysted metacercariae (2.50 +/- 0.14 mm in length and 0.

Description of a new lung fluke species, Paragonimus vietnamensis sp. nov. (Trematoda, Paragonimidae), found in northern Vietnam.

Based on morphology of metacercariae and adult worms together with molecular data from our previous study, we describe herein a new lung fluke species named Paragonimus vietnamensis sp. nov. Metacercariae of this new species is round and extremely large in size (nearly 800 mum in diameter) having a fragile outer cyst of variable thickness and a thin fragile inner cyst.

Morphological and molecular identification of two Paragonimus spp., of which metacercariae concurrently found in a land crab, Potamiscus tannanti, collected in Yenbai Province, Vietnam.

Paragonimosis is an important food-borne zoonosis especially in Asian countries. Among Paragonimus species, Paragonimus westermani followed by P. skrjabini complex are the major pathogens for human paragonimosis in Asia.

Molecular cloning and analysis of stage and tissue-specific expression of cathepsin B encoding genes from Fasciola gigantica.

The transcriptional products of Fasciola gigantica genes encoding cathepsin B proteases were cloned from adult, newly excysted juvenile (NEJ), and metacercarial stages. The obtained cDNAs were named FG cat-B1, FG cat-B2, and FG cat-B3. The deduced amino acid sequences of the encoded proteases have identities ranging from 64 to 79%.