HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by CHAI, J.-Y. Articles by NAWA, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by CHAI, J.-Y. Articles by NAWA, Y.

AN OUTBREAK OF GNATHOSTOMIASIS AMONG KOREAN EMIGRANTS IN MYANMAR

Thirty-eight (designated as cases) of 60 Korean emigrants who consumed raw fresh water fish in Yangon, Myanmar developed migratory swellings and creeping eruptions on the back, abdomen, flank, and other cutaneous areas 1–10 weeks later. The symptoms included itching, nodule formation, fatigue, urticaria, fever, pain on the skin, and erythematous plaques. Skin biopsies of two cases revealed no parasites. However, the mean ± SD peripheral blood eosinophilia among the cases was 6.3 ± 6.5% (n = 29) and 9.0 ± 9.8% (n = 26) in two examinations. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of their serum samples, using Gnathostoma doloresi adult worms as the antigen, showed mean ± SD optical densities of 0.47 ± 0.29 (n = 28) and 0.32 ± 0.20 (n = 30) in two examinations and 0.12 ± 0.09 (n = 50) in healthy controls. Two advanced third-stage larvae of G. spinigerum were found in two of six catfish purchased at a local market in Yangon. The outbreak of the human infection is suggested to have been due to G. spinigerum, which is known to live out its life cycle in the Yangon area of Myanmar.

Received February 24, 2003. Accepted for publication April 26, 2003.

Acknowledgments: We thank Jung-Kum Chung, the Korean Ambassador in Myanmar, the staff of the Korean Embassy in Myanmar, and the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea for helping with various aspects of this study. Thanks are also extended to Nwe Nwe Aung, (Japanese Embassy in Myanmar) for the collection of blood samples from the patients.

Financial support: This study was supported by BK21 Human Life Sciences, Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea.

Authors’ addresses: Jong-Yil Chai, Eun-Hee Shin, and Jae-Hwan Park, Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and the Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 110-799, Republic of Korea, Telephone: 82-2-740-8342, Fax: 82-2-765-6142. Eun-Taek Han, Department of Parasitology, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chunchon 200-701, Republic of Korea, Telephone: 82-33-250-7941, Fax: 82-33-242-7571. Jong-Phil Chu, Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Kyunghee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea, Telephone: 82-2-961-0919, Fax: 82-2-967-8401. Masaki Hirota, Embassy of Japan, 2520 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008-2869, Telephone 202-238-6941, Fax: 202-238-7533 (previously Embassy of Japan, Yangon, Myanmar). Fukumi Nakamura-Uchiyama and Yuki-fumi Nawa, Department of Parasitology, Miyazaki Medical College, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan, Telephone: 81-985-85-0990, Fax: 81-985-84-3887.

Reprint requests: Jong-Yil Chai, Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 110-799, Republic of Korea, E-mail: cjy{at}plaza.snu.ac.kr.