A HUMAN CASE OF PLAGIORCHIS-MURIS (TANABE, 1922, DIGENEA) INFECTION IN THE REPUBLIC-OF-KOREA - FRESH-WATER FISH AS A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF INFECTION

A Korean man was found infected with Plagiorchis muris and 2 other int estinal trematodes, Echinostoma hortense and Metagonimus takahashii. N o complaint of gastrointestinal discomfort due to these fluke infectio ns was noted. The patient had a history of eating various kinds of fre shwater fish caught from a small stream near his village. Freshwater f ish collected from the stream were examined for trematode metacercaria e by an artificial digestion technique. Unidentified metacercariae col lected were administered to a Sprague-Dawley rat. One P. muris adult w as recovered from the small intestine of the rat on day 8 postinfectio n. Thus, freshwater fish of the genera Liobagrus, Puntungia, and Odont obutis are a probable source of infection for this patient.