Occurrence of the lung fluke Paragonimus hueit'ungensis in Manipur, India.

Background: Paragonimus has emerged as an important parasitic zoonosis in recent years in Manipur, India. However, no scientific data on the systematic and phylogenetic classification of lung fluke in India is available. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the species of lung fluke prevalent in Manipur by infecting an experimental animal with Paragonimus metacercariae obtained from fresh water crabs.

Methods: Thirteen Paragonimus metacercariae isolated from the fresh water crabs, Potamiscus manipurensis, at Churachandpur, Manipur, India were used to infect a puppy orally using a Pasteur pipette. After the infection, fecal specimens were checked for Paragonimus eggs by microscopic examination. Autopsy was performed on day 121 post-infection. The worms recovered from the worm cysts were alcohol fixed, flattened and stained with carmine for morphological study.

Results: Four adult worms were recovered. The worms presented with singly spaced cuticular spines, and the ventral suckers were slightly larger than the oral suckers. The ovaries consisted of 4 to 5 lobed masses branched like a ginger stem, and the testes were irregularly lobed and elongated. One ofthe worms showed a different shape and size ofthe right testis. The morphological features of the worms are similar to the Chinese species, Paragonimus hueit'ungensis.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the possibility of occurrence of P hueit'ungensis as 1 of the important Paragonimus species prevalent in Manipur, India after its initial discovery in China.