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Welcome to the Gnathostomiasis homepage!
Gnathostomiasis is a rare parasitic infection caused by nematodes of the genus Gnathostoma. The most common species that infects humans is G. spinigerum, but there have also been instances of G. hispidum, G. nipponicum, G. procyonis, G. binucleatum and G. doloresi infections. Gnathostomiasis is also called Choko-Fushu Tua chid or chokofishi (Japan), Shanghai rheumatism, consular disease (Nankung), Tau-cheed (Thailand), Woodbury bug (Australia), and Yangtze River edema.
Despite the fact that the parasite was first identified in the stomach of a tiger at the London Zoo in 1836, gnathostomiasis was endemic in only Asia and Oceania until recently. The first human case was diagnosed by Levinsen in 1889 in Thailand. The majority of cases in Asia are found in Japan and Thailand, with some cases in Korea, Laos, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Since 1970, however, more than 1000 cases have been reported from Latin America, and gnathostomiasis is now considered endemic there, particularly in Mexico and Ecuador. As recently as 1991, three people were infected in Tanzania and two more were infected in western Zambia in 2003. The worms have been found in many animals in Zimbabwe as well, making south central Africa the most recently recognized endemic area. The disease has continued to spread with extended travel, and cases have been reported in travelers returning to the United States or England from endemic areas.
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