C.: Pulmonary paragonimiasis: a review with case reports from Korea and the

PULMONARY paragonimiasis is a disease caused by the presence within the lung parenchyma of the oriental lung fluke, Paragonimus westermani. Known variously as endemic hemoptysis, lung distoma and pulmonary distomiasis, the disease was first introduced to medical science approximately 75 years ago following its recognition at the postmortem examination of a Bengal tiger. It was first reported in man in 1880.1 There is some dispute about the existence of other species, P. ringeri and P. cornpactus, but ap-parently only minor differences have been described, and common usage has practically evolved to the preference of P. westermani for all forms found in man. A closely related species, P. kellicotti, has been found in animals on the North American continent. Animal reservoirs include the dog, cat