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Metagonimus Species

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Parasitology

  • 66 Accesses

Name

Greek: meta = behind; gone = sexual organ. Yokogawa = famous Japanese parasitologist and author. English: Spiny intestinal fluke or spiny dwarf worm.

Geographic Distribution/Epidemiology

Mainly in East Asia, but also focally in Romania, Spain, Russia, and Israel. WHO estimates that about five to ten millions of humans are infected.

Morphology/Life Cycle

The adult worms (e.g., M. yokogawai) reach a size of 1–2.5 × 0.4–0.7 mm. Their tegument is covered with fine scales introducing a thorny aspect of the surface. Their ventral sucker is not situated exactly in the midline of the body but somewhat laterally displaced. Main hosts are fish eating birds (e.g., pelicans) or mammals (inclusive humans), in the intestines of which where the adult worms are attached at the walls of the small intestine. The operculated eggs (27 × 16 μm) are excreted with the feces. The miracidia are set free in fresh or brackish water and enter the skin of water snails of the genera Melania and Sulcospira....

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Further Reading

  • Cho SH et al (2011) Prevalence of Metagonimus metacercariae in sweetfish, Plecoglossus altivelis, from Eastern and Southern coastal areas in Korea. Korean J Parasitol 49:161–165

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Li MH et al (2010) Infectivity and development of Metagonimus yokogawai in experimentally infected domestic ducks (Cairina moschata). Vet Parasitol 168:45–50

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li MH et al (2013) Metagonimus yokogawai: metacercariae survey in fishes and its development to adult worms in various rodents. Parasitol Res 112:1647–1653

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  • Mehlhorn H et al (1983) Ultrastructural investigations of the effects of praziquantel on human trematodes from Asia (Clonorchis sinensis, Metagonimus yokogawai, Opisthorchis viverrini, Paragonimus westermani, Schistosoma japonicum). Drug Res 33:91–98

    CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Zoomorphologie, Zellbiologie und Parasitologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Heinz Mehlhorn

Authors
  1. Heinz Mehlhorn
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heinz Mehlhorn .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoomorphology and Parasitology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Heinz Mehlhorn

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Mehlhorn, H. (2015). Metagonimus Species. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27769-6_1914-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27769-6_1914-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27769-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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