Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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Review Case Reports
Human paragonimiasis in North America following ingestion of raw crayfish.
Paragonimiasis (human infections with the lung fluke Paragonimus westermani) is an important public health problem in parts of Southeast Asia and China. Paragonamiasis has rarely been reported from North America as a zoonosis caused by Paragonimus kellicotti. Paragonimus species have complex life cycles that require 2 intermediate hosts, namely, snails and crustaceans (ie, crabs or crayfish). ⋯ These patients acquired their infections after consuming raw crayfish from rivers in Missouri. It is likely that other patients with paragonimiasis have been misdiagnosed and improperly treated. Physicians should consider the possibility that patients who present with cough, fever, hemoptysis, and eosinophilia may have paragonimiasis.