Paragonimiasis: a Japanese perspective.

Paragonimiasis has been considered to be a foodborne zoonosis endemic only in limited areas in the world. Recently, however, patients have been seen almost all over the world because of the increase in number of overseas travelers and the popularization of ethnic dishes in developed countries. If paragonimiasis is misdiagnosed as tuberculosis or lung cancer patients suffer from a considerable burden of long-term hospitalization and unnecessary examinations and treatments. Clinicians should always be aware of the possibility of paragonimiasis when patients have pulmonary lesions with eosinophilia and an elevated serum IgE. For the diagnosis, rapid and reliable immunodiagnostic methods are now available. Highly effective drugs are also available for treatment.