Abstract
It is obvious that the general status of parasitic infections in Korea has shown a marked decrease, particularly in soil-transmitted helminthic infections. However, food-borne parasitic infections are still regarded as the major parasitic diseases of medical importance in Korea. Generally, the parasitic infections may occur from the following sources: by contaminated soil, water, vegetable and fruits, and other animals as food containing the parasites at their immature infective stage, in association with a domestic or wild animal harboring the parasite, and an ectoparasite that transmits the parasite by blood sucking. Human food-borne parasitic infections result from the consumption of undercooked or raw fish, shellfish, snails, vertebrates, and water plants as a food. These infections are significantly related to human behavioral patterns based on socioeconomic and cultural conditions and are linked with the biological and physical environments. Most of food-borne parasitic infections are considered as all parasitic zoonoses to man and animals. To understand the current status of food-borne parasitic infections in Korea, the author presents the list of overall food-borne parasitic infections caused by protozoan infection (toxoplasmosis), trematode infections (clonorchiasis, metagonimiasis, and some intestinal trematodiases), nematode infections (anisakiasis and trichinosis), and others with a briefly reviewed.
References
1. Rim HJ. The Current Pathobiology and Chemotherapy of Clonorchiasis. Korean J Parasitol. 1986. 24:Suppl. 1–141.
2. KAHP. Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Korea -The 7th Report-. 2004. Korea Association of Health Promotion;1–275.
3. Chai JY, Lee SH. Intestinal Trematodes of Humans in Korea: Metagonimus, Heterophyids and Echinostomes. Korean J Parasitol. 1990. 28:103–122.
4. Saito S, Chai JY, Kim KH, Lee SH, Rim HJ. Metagonimus miyatai sp. Nov. (Digenea: Heterophyidae), a new intestinal trematode transmitted by freshwater fishes in Japan and Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1997. 35:223–232.
5. Rim HJ, Kim KH, Joo KH. Classification and host specificity of Metagonimus spp. from Korean freshwater fish. Korean J Parasitol. 1996. 34:7–14.
6. Hong SJ, Seo BS, Lee SH, Chai JY. A Human Case of Centrocestus armatus Infection in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1988. 26:55–60.
7. Chung DI, Moon CH, Kong HH, Choi DW, Lim DK. The first human case of Clinostomum complanatum in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1995. 33:305–312.
8. Seo BS, Hong ST, Chai JY, Lee SH. Studies on Intestinal Trematodes in Korea VIII. A human Case of Echinostoma hortense Infection. Korean J Parasitol. 1983. 21:219–223.
9. Ryang YS, Ahn YK, Kim WT, Shin KC, Lee KW, Kim TS. Two cases of human infection by Echinostoma cinetorchis. Korean J Parasitol. 1986. 24:71–76.
10. Seo BS, Lee SH, Chai JY, Hong SJ. Studies on Intestinal Trematodes in Korea XX. Four cases of Natural Human Infection by Echinochasmus japonicus. Korean J Parasitol. 1985. 23:214–220.
11. Chai JY, Seo BS, Lee SH. Studies on Intestinal Trematodes in Korea XI. Two cases of Human Infection by Heterophyes heterophyes nocens. Korean J Parasitol. 1984. 22:37–42.
12. Chai JY, Seo BS, Lee SH, Hong SJ, Sohn WM. Human infections by Heterophyes heterophyes and H, dispar imported from Saudi Arabia. Korean J Parasitol. 1986. 24:82–88.
13. Seo BS, Lee SH, Chyai JY, Hong SJ. Studies on Intestinal Trematodes in Korea XIII. Two cases of Natural Human Infection by Heterophyopsis continua and the Status of Metacercarial Infection in Brackish Water Fishes. Korean J Parasitol. 1984. 22:51–60.
14. Seo BS, Lee SH, Chai JY, Hong SJ. Studies on Intestinal Trematodes in Korea XII. Two Cases of Human Infection by Stellantchasmus falcatus. Korean J Parasitol. 1984. 22:43–50.
15. Chai JY, Hong JS, Lee SH, Seo BS. Stictodora sp. (Trematoda: Heterophyidae) recovered from a Man in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1988. 26:127–132.
16. Im KI, Shin HJ, Kim BH, Moon SI. Gastric anisakiasis Cases in Cheju-Do. Korean J Parasitol. 1995. 33:231–234.
17. Lee SH, Seo BS, Chai JY, Hong ST, Hong SJ, Cho SY. Five Cases of Diphyllobothrium latum Infection. Korean J Parasitol. 1983. 21:150–156.
18. Lee SH, Chai JY, Hong ST, Sohn WM, Choi DI. A case of Diphyllobothrium yonagoense infection. Seoul J Med. 1988. 29:391–395.
19. Lee SH, Chai JY, Seo M, Kook J, Huh S, Ryang YS, Ahn YK. Two rare case cases of Diphyllobothrium latum parvum type infection in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1994. 32:117–120.
20. Lee SH, Chai JY, Hong ST. Gymnophalloides seoi n.sp. (Digenea: Gymnophallidae), the first report of human infection by a gymnophallid. J Parasitol. 1993. 79:677–680.
21. Lee SH, Chai JY, Lee HJ, Hong ST, Yu JR, Sohn WM, Kho WG, Choi MH, Lim YJ. High prevalence of Gymnophalloides seoi infection in a village on a southwestern island of the Republic of Korea. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1994. 51:281–285.
22. Choi DW. Paragonimus and Paragoniasis in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1990. 28:79–102.
23. Rim HJ, Chan YS, Lee JS, Joo KH, Suh WH, Tsuji M. Clinical evaluation of praziquantel (Embay 8440, Biltricide) in the treatment of Paragonimus westermani. Korean J Parasitol. 1981. 19:27–37.
24. Seo BS, Rim HJ, Lee CW. Studies on the parasitic helminthes of Korea. I. Trematodes of Rodents. Korean J Parasitol. 1964. 2:20–26.
25. Seo BS. Fibricola seoulensis Seo, Rim and Lee, 1964 (Trematoda) and Fibricoliasis in Man. Seoul J Med. 1990. 31:61–96.
26. Hong ST, Shoop WL. Neodiplostomum seoulensis N. Comb. (Trematoda: Neodiplostomatidae). J Parasitol. 1994. 80:660–663.
27. Cho SY, Bae JH, Seo BS, Lee SH. Some aspects of human sparganosis in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1975. 13:60–77.
28. Choi WY, Kim BC, Choi HS. First case of human Infection with Tapeworm of the Genus Mesocestoides in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1967. 5:60–64.
29. Rim HJ. Epidemiological studies on toxoplasmosis in Korea. J Health Fellowship Foundation. 1970. 2:180–184.
30. Rim HJ, Lee SK, Lee WJ, Uh KB. Studies on Toxoplasma infections among Korean swine. New Medical Journal. 1972. 15:1337–1341.
31. Sohn WM, Kim HM, Chung DI, Yee ST, Yano A. The first human case of Trichinella spiralis infection in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 2000. 38:111–115.
32. Min DY. Cestode Infection in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1990. 28:123–144.
33. Rim HJ, Park SB, Lee JS, Joo KH. Therapeutic effects of praziquantel (Embay 8440) against Taenia solium infection. Korean J Parasitol. 1979. 17:67–72.
34. Rim HJ, Won CR, Chu JW. Studies on the human cysticercosis and its therapeutic trial with praziquantel (Embay 8440). Korea Univ Med Journal. 1980. 17:459–475.
35. Rim HJ, Lee JS, Joo KH, Kim SJ, Won CR, Park CY. Therapeutic trial of praziquantel (Embay 8440, Biltricide) on the dermal and cerebral human cysticercosis. Korean J Parasitol. 1982. 20:169–190.
36. Eom KS, Rim HJ. Morphologic descriptions of Taenia asiatica sp.n. Korean J Parasitol. 1993. 31:1–6.
37. Cho SY, Seo BS, Kim YI, Won CK, Cho SK. A Case of Human Fascioliasis in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1976. 14:153–182.
38. Hong ST, Lee SH, Chi JG, Lee TS, Lee CY, Suh BY, Lee YH. A human case of gallbladder fascioliasis in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1986. 23:89–94.
39. Lee SH, Cho SY, Seo BS, Choe KJ, Chi JG. A human case of ectopic fascioliasis in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1982. 20:191–203.
40. WHO Report. Control of Foodborne Trematode Infection. 1995. WHO Technical Report Series 849;1–157.