J Korean Med Assoc.  2007 Nov;50(11):993-1004. 10.5124/jkma.2007.50.11.993.

Traveling and Imported Parasitic Diseases

• Ahn MH

• KMID: 2184947
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2007.50.11.993

Abstract

Recently, many peoples travel abroad for sightseeing, business, missionary and other works. At the same time, imported parasitic diseases including malaria has been increased in Korea. The vector borne and food borne diseases were imported from many other countries, Africa, Middle East and South east Asia. Recently many foreigners entered to Korea for studying, working and other purposes. Imported foods, fishes, meats, vegetables are important for parasitic infection, too. The author reviewed imported parasitic diseases in Korea from 1970 to 2006 with literatures. Malaria is most prevalent. And babesiosis of 6 cases, cutaneous leishmaniasis of over 20 cases, visceral leishmaniasis of 5 cases, loiasis of 3 cases, gnathostomiasis of 40 cases, angiostrongylosis of 10 cases, heterophydiasis of 2 cases, schistosomiasis haematobium of 6 cases, schistosomiasis mansoni of 3 cases, hydatidosis of 24 cases, cutaneous larva migrans of 4 cases, and one case of ancylostomiasis, syngamosis, cutaneous myiasis and pentastomiasis are reported, respectively. The protozoa of 5 species and helminthes of 11 species are imported from many other countries. In Korea, re-emerging malaria was appeared at Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on 1993. Last year, 2,051 cases of indigenous malaria were reported by Korean Center for Diseases Control (KCDC). However, the most prevalent imported malaria was Plasmodium falciparum and indigenous malaria was only P. vivax. For the prevention of imported parasitic diseases, the education, training for tropical medicine, supply of medication and vaccine are needed. The surveillance system for imported diseases was started by KCDC on 2001.

Keyword

Imported diseases; Parasite; Malaria; Korea; International travel

MeSH Terms

Africa
Ancylostomiasis
Animals
Babesiosis
Commerce
Echinococcosis
Education
Emigrants and Immigrants
Far East
Fishes
Foodborne Diseases
Gnathostomiasis
Helminths
Humans
Korea
Larva Migrans
Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous
Leishmaniasis, Visceral
Loiasis
Malaria
Meat
Middle East
Missions and Missionaries
Myiasis
Parasites
Parasitic Diseases*
Plasmodium falciparum
Schistosomiasis haematobia
Schistosomiasis mansoni
Tropical Medicine
Vegetables

Reference

1. Annual Report of KAHP. 2004. Korea Association of Health Promotion;13.

2. Ahn MH, Shin HJ, Im KI, Soh CT. Imported malaria cases in Korea. Yonsei Rep Trop Med. 1982. 13:23–29.

3. Soh CT, Lee KT, Im KI, Min DY, Ahn MH, Kim JJ, Yong TS. Current status of malaria in Korea. Yonsei Rep Trop Med. 1985. 16:11–18.

4. Lee SH. Imported parasitic diseases in Korea. J Korean Med Assoc. 1989. 32:247–254.

5. Min DY. Current status of imported parasites. J Korean Med Assoc. 1992. 35:1309–1315.

6. Cho SY, Kang Y, Park SM, Lee JS, Lim YA, Chae SL, Kho WG, Lee JS, Shim JC, Shin HK. Two vivax malaria cases detected in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1994. 32:281–284.

7. Kim HT, Song YW, Choe KW, Chai JY, Lee SH. An imported case of human babesiosis in Korea. Korean J Intern Med. 1988. 35:569–573.

8. Sim JG, Park HS, Ahn DH, Kho WG, Chai JY. A case of babesiosis in an eight year old Korean boy. J Korean Pediatr. 1991. 34:1417–1421.

9. Lee SS, Yang SY, Cho YK, Kim E, Kim YS, Woo JH, Ryu J, Chai JY. An imported case of babesiosis. Korean J Infect Dis. 1997. 29:49–52.

10. Kweon SH, Kim YS, Pai H, Park J, Park H, Choi HH, Chai JY. A case of mixed infection with malaria and Babesia. Korean J Infect Dis. 1998. 30:198–202.

11. Jang HJ, Kim JH, Park WJ, Kim CH, Kim DG, Hyun IG, Huh S, Kho WG, Chai JY. A case of intraerythrocytic parasitism treated with Quinine and Clindamycin. Korean J Infect Dis. 1998. 30:478–482.

12. Yon KT, Kim YA, Ku NS, Kim JH, Jung SJ, Kim HJ, Song KH, Choi YK, Shin SY, Kim YK, Kim MS, Park YS, Choi JY, Sung YG, Kim JM. A case of human babesiosis confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and treated with Atovaquone and Azithromycin. Infect Chemother. 2006. 38:300–303.

13. Kim JY, Cho Sh, Joo HN, Tsuji M, Cho SR, Park IJ, Chung GT, JU JW, Cheun HI, Lee HW, Lee YH, Kim TS. First case of human babesiosis in Korea: Detection and characterization of a novel type of Babesia sp. (Ko1) similar to ovine Babesia. J Clin Microbiol. 2007. 45:2084–2087.

14. Yu JR, Sohn WM. A case of human cyclosporiasis causing traveler's diarrhea after visiting Indonesia. J Korean Med Sci. 2003. 18:738–741.

15. Yoo TY, Chang BK, Lee SH. Two cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Korean J Dermatol. 1978. 16:447–486.

16. Kim HJ, Shin DH, Kim YW. Five cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Korean J Dermatol. 1984. 22:60–67.

17. Yun TY, Eun HC, Lee YS, Chi JG, Ham EK, Hong ST, Lee SH. Two cases of imported cutaneous leishmaniasis in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1985. 23:327–330.

18. Park JS, Lee DK, Hong SJ, Son SJ, Cho MK. A case of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Korean J Dermatol. 2001. 39:725–727.

19. Kim DY, Cho SB, Chung KY. A case of cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with intralesional injection of meglumine antimoniate. Korean J Dermatol. 2006. 44:113–116.

20. Heu IM. Three cases of Kala-azar, especially on the various serologic reaction. Korean J Intern Med. 1952. 1:118–121.

21. Chi JG, Shong YK, Hong ST, Lee SH, Seo BS, Choe KW. An imported case of Kala-azar in Korea. Korean J Parasitol. 1983. 21:87–94.

22. Kim HY, Jung SE, Park KW, Kim WK. Visceral leishmaniasis in a child. J Korean Assoc Pediatr Surg. 2004. 10:35–38.

23. Min DY, Soh CT, Woon JW. A case of Calabar swelling suspected a loiasis. Korean J Parasitol. 1987. 25:185–187.

24. Chun YS, Chun SI, Im KI, Moon TK, Lee MG. A case of loiasis. Yonsei Med J. 1998. 39:184–188.

25. Cho HY, Lee YJ, Shin SY, Song HO, Ahn MH, Ryu JS. Subconjunctival Loa loa with Calabar swelling. J Korean Med Sci. 2007. (accepted article).

26. Lee SH, Hong ST, Chai JY. Description of male Gnathostoma spinigerum recovered from a Thai woman with meningoencephalitis. Korean J Parasitol. 1988. 26:33–38.

27. Lee SD, Lee HJ, Kim JW. A case of gnathostomiasis. Korean J Dermatol. 2001. 39:1427–1429.

28. Chai JY, Han ET, Shin EH, Park JH, Chu JP, Hirota M, Nakamura-Uchiyama F, Nawa Y. An outbreak of gnathostomiasis among Korean emigrants in Myanmar. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2003. 69:67–73.

29. Lee NH, Sim YE, Kim CB, Yang YM, Lee SH, Lee CI, Kim DH, Hwang JW, Kliks M. Ten cases of eosinophilic meningitis. Eulji Med J. 1981. 4:143–151.

30. Chai JY, Seo BS, Lee SH, Hong SJ, Sohn WM. Human infection by Heterophyes heterophyes and H. dispar imported from Saudi Arabia. Korean J Parasitol. 1986. 24:82–88.

31. Min DY, Soh CT, Lee MS, Choi HK, Park CI. Urinary schistosomiasis among Korean returnees from the Middle-East. Yonsei Rep Trop Med. 1982. 13:36–40.

32. Lee SY, Lee HC, Park YY, Kwon SW, Kim OK. Urinary schistosomiasis: A case report. Korean J Urol. 1989. 30:224–227.

33. Kim YD, Choi SK, KIm BT, Shin WH, Byun BJ. Cerebellar schistosomiasis. Case report. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 1994. 23:1096–1100.

34. Lee YK, Choi TY, Jin SY, Lee DW. Imported CNS schistosomiasis. A case report. J Korean Med Sci. 1995. 10:57–61.

35. Lim SD, Suh YL, Chi JG, Hong ST, Lee SH. Mansonian schistosomiasis in rectum. Korean J Parasitol. 1995. 33:383–386.

36. Chung KY, Lee DY, Hong PW. Surgical treatment of pulmonary hydatid cyst-two case reports. Korean J Thoracic Surg. 1983. 16:518–525.

37. Jeon SH, Kim TH, Lee HL. Laparoscopic treatment of isolated renal hydatid cyst. Korean J Urol. 2007. 48:555–557.

38. Chai JY, Seo M, Suh KS, Lee SH. An imported case of hepatic unilocular hydatid disease. Korean J Parasitol. 1995. 33:125–130.

39. Choi KH, Kim MH, Choi JW, Suh JT. A case of echinococcal infection. Korean J Clin Pathol. 1996. 16:704–709.

40. Kim IK, Kim DY, Moon I, Kim TS, Ock MS, Oh KS, Rhew HY. A case of echinococcal hydatid cyst as misdiagnosed to the bladder cancer. Korean J Urol. 2004. 45:1292–1295.

41. Ryou JY, Kim KH, Kim SY. Hydatid cyst of the orbit. J Korean Opthalmol Soc. 2006. 47:484–488.

42. Kang J, Jung BC, Lee SB, Hong SK, Jeong H, Kim SH, Lee SE. A case of recurred hydatid cyst in pelvic cavity. Korean J Urol. 1999. 40:937–940.

43. Park JW, Kwon SJ, Ryu JS, Hong EK, Lee JU, Yu HJ, Ahn MH, Min DY. Two imported cases of cutaneous larva migrans. Korean J Parasitol. 2001. 39:77–81.

44. Kwon IH, Kim HS, Lee JH, Choi MH, Chai JY, Nakamura-Uchiyama F, Nawa Y, Cho KH. A serologically diagnosed human case of cutaneous larva migrans caused by Ancylostoma caninum. Korean J Parasitol. 2003. 41:233–237.

45. Kim TH, Lee BS, Sohn WM. Three clinical cases of cutaneous larva migrans. Korean J Parasitol. 2006. 44:145–149.

46. Yong TS, Shin HJ, Im KI, Kim WH. An imported human case of hookworm infection with worms in the rectum. Korean J Parasitol. 1992. 30:59–62.

47. Kim HY, Lee SM, Joo JE, Na MJ, Ahn MH, Min DY. Human syngamosis: The first case in Korea. Thorax. 1998. 53:717–718.

48. Kim YK, Kim HJ, Hwang KJ, Hyeon KJ, Ree HI. Cutaneous myiasis by Cordylobia anthropophaga. J Korean Med Assoc. 1990. 33:443–446.

49. Park CS, Kim MW, Hong WK, Lee HB, Lee DW, Kang DY, Chai JY, Lee SH. Pentastomiasis which caused eosinophilic pneumonia: Report of a case. J Korean Med Assoc. 1985. 28:1141–1146.

50. Skarbinski J, Eliades MJ, Causer LM, Barber AM, Mali S, Nguyen-Dinh P, Roberts JM, Parise ME, Slutsker L, Newman RD. Malaria surveillance-United States, 2004. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2006. 55:23–37.

51. Askling HH, Nilsson J, Tegnell A, Janzon R, Kkdahl K. Malaria risk in travelers. Emerg Inf Dis. 2005. 11:436–441.

52. Kim MY, Eom KS, Jang T, Kim YR, Yoo JH, Cho SY, Yoo SY, Kang MW. Clinical analysis of 40 cases of malaria. Korean J Infect Dis. 1998. 30:180–184.

53. Park SH, Han JS, Rah HR, Chang HW. Clinical diagnostic analysis of 28 cases of malaria diagnosed in Pusan. J Korean Acad Fam Med. 2001. 22:1409–1416.

54. Kim JH, Park KS, Lee JM, Choi JH, Lee IS, Kim MY, Kim YR, Kang MW. A case of primaquine-resistant tertian malaria. Korean J Infect Dis. 1997. 29:503–507.

55. Keiser L, Utzinger J. Emerging foodborne trematodiasis. Emerg Inf Dis. 2005. 11:1507–1514.