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Paragonimus and paragonimiasis in West and Central Africa: unresolved questions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2018

Neil Cumberlidge ,
David Rollinson ,
Jozef Vercruysse ,
Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuenté Open the ORCID record for Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuenté [Opens in a new window] ,
Bonnie Webster Open the ORCID record for Bonnie Webster [Opens in a new window]  and
Paul F. Clark Open the ORCID record for Paul F. Clark [Opens in a new window]
Neil Cumberlidge
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, Michigan 49855, USA
David Rollinson
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Jozef Vercruysse
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Virology, Parasitology, Immunology, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuenté
Affiliation:
Centre for Schistosomiasis and Parasitology, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé,Cameroon
Bonnie Webster
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Paul F. Clark*
Affiliation:
Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Paul F. Clark, E-mail: p.clark@nhm.ac.uk
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Abstract

Paragonimiasis, human lung fluke disease, is a foodborne anthropozoonosis caused by the trematodes assigned to Paragonimus and is regarded by the World Health Organization as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD). The life cycle of this medically important parasite centres on a complex freshwater biological community that includes two intermediate hosts: a mollusc and a decapod, usually a brachyuran. Although there is a perception that the biology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Paragonimus is well understood, in reality, this is not the case, especially in Africa. Much remains unknown concerning the life-cycle of the parasite, its transmission, the current epidemiology of the disease, diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatment. Furthermore, cases of paragonimiasis may be misdiagnosed as resistant tuberculosis (TB) because of the similar pulmonary symptoms and no remission after anti TB therapy. The endemic foci of human paragonimiasis in Africa have been reported mainly in the forest zones of Upper Guinea (Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast) and Lower Guinea (Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon). Despite the perceived medical importance of paragonimiasis, relatively little attention has been paid to this NTD since its discovery in Africa in the 1960s. This review focuses on the current understanding of the life cycle and transmission of Paragonimus in Africa, discusses its diagnosis and public health importance and highlights many outstanding gaps in the knowledge that still exist for this NTD.

Keywords

Host snailshuman lung fluke diseaselife cycleNeglected Tropical DiseaseparagonimiasisPotamonautinae crab hostsresistant tuberculosisWest and Central Africa
Type
Special Issue Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 145 , Special Issue 13: 2017 Autumn Symposium of the British Society for Parasitology The multi-disciplinarity of parasitology: Host-parasite evolution in an ever changing world , November 2018 , pp. 1748 - 1757
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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