Question
Features of paragonimus westermanni infection
- Consumption of metacercaria
- Affects the lung
- A trematode
- Penetration of skin a) 1, 2, 3 are correct c) 2, 3, 4 are correct b) 1, 2, 3, 4 are correct d) 1, 3 are correct
Answer
Key facts regarding Paragonimus westermani (lung fluke) infection: acquired by ingestion of undercooked/raw freshwater crab or crayfish containing metacercariae; the adult fluke resides in the lung parenchyma (typically in pairs, within a fibrous cyst), producing eggs that are coughed up in sputum or swallowed and passed in stool; causes chronic cough, haemoptysis, and chest pain, often mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis clinically and radiographically (a genuinely important differential diagnosis point); diagnosed by demonstration of characteristic operculated, golden-brown eggs in sputum or stool, or by serology; treated with Praziquantel. Extrapulmonary migration (e.g., to the brain, causing cerebral paragonimiasis) can also occur. Without the original four numbered statements from the source question, the specific combination intended by the examiner cannot be confirmed.