Sohn W M, Lee S H
Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Chinju, Korea.
Korean J Parasitol. 1998 Jun;36(2):81-9. doi: 10.3347/kjp.1998.36.2.81.
The present study was performed to observe the infection status of several kind of animals with indigenous Gnathostoma in Korea, and morphological characteristics of gnathostome larvae detected from pit-viper, Agkistrodon brevicaudus, for the species identification. To know the existence of Gnathostoma in Korea, 3,450 loaches, 24 bullfrogs, several kinds of snakes, i.e., 55 Elaphe rufodorsata, 2 Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum, 62 Rhabdophis tigrinus tigrinus and 87 Agkistrodon spp., and 438 cats were examined. A total of 21 larval gnathostomes was detected from 12 pit-vipers, A. brevicaudus. They were 2,233 x 0.343 mm in average size and covered with about 210 transverse rows of minute cuticular spines. Their characteristic head bulbs were provided with 4 rows of hooklets of which average numbers in each row were 36.8, 39.0, 41.7 and 44.3, posteriorly. In the cross sections of midgut level, the intestinal wall consisted of a single layer of 19-25 elongate epithelial cells with a single nucleus. SEM observation of the larvae revealed unique features of head bulb, cuticular spines on transverse striations and a cervical papilla. On the basis of above morphological characteristics, they were identified as the advanced third-stage larvae of Gnathostoma hispidum. It was first confirmed that the pit-viper, Agkistrodon brevicaudus is the snake intermediate host of G. hispidum.
本研究旨在观察韩国几种动物感染本地颚口线虫的状况，并对从短尾蝮蛇（Agkistrodon brevicaudus）体内检测到的颚口线虫幼虫进行形态特征分析，以进行物种鉴定。为了解韩国颚口线虫的存在情况，对3450条泥鳅、24只牛蛙、几种蛇（55条赤链蛇、2条红纹滞卵蛇、62条虎斑颈槽蛇和87条蝮蛇属蛇类）以及438只猫进行了检查。从12条短尾蝮蛇体内共检测到21条颚口线虫幼虫。它们的平均大小为2.233×0.343毫米，体表覆盖着约210排微小的角质刺。其特征性的头球有4排小钩，每排小钩的平均数量向后依次为36.8、39.0、41.7和44.3。在中肠水平的横切面上，肠壁由单层19 - 25个细长的上皮细胞组成，每个细胞有一个细胞核。对幼虫的扫描电镜观察揭示了头球、横纹上的角质刺和颈乳头的独特特征。根据上述形态特征，它们被鉴定为刚棘颚口线虫的晚期第三期幼虫。首次证实短尾蝮蛇是刚棘颚口线虫的蛇中间宿主。
