Lecture #7b: THE LUNG FLUKES

PARAGONIMUS WESTERMANI

Common name:       Oriental lung fluke

Disease:         Paragonimiasis, Pulmonary distomiasis or endemic hemoptysis

Morphology:

1.      Adult

Measures from 8–12mm, coffee bean shaped, provided with an oral sucker, a ventral sucker which is situated midway in the body, a simple intestinal ceca with several indentations (zigzag) and 2 lobed testes situated side by side in the posterior region. At the right side of the ventral sucker is the coiled uterus and opposite it is the lobed ovary; the vitellaria are highly branched starting from the region of the pharynx down to the posterior end. It has a long excretory bladder extending from below the level of the pharynx down to the posterior end.

2.      Ova

Measure about 80u and immature when laid. It has distinct operculum and a thickened abopercular end.

                  

           

1^st Intermediate Host:          Brotia aspirata (snail)

2^nd Intermediate Host:        Sundathelpusa philippina (crabs)

Life cycle