Paragonimiasis in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa

Nine cases of paragonimiasis have been reported from cats (4), dogs (2) and children (3) in South Africa, with an additional suspected case in an adult female patient. Details of these cases are reviewed. All nine cases, and perhaps the adult case as well, were from the province of KwaZulu-Natal but locality data are only available for six of them. These six cases represent four localities which all lie below 100 m above sea level in the province's lowlands, suggesting that there may be a focus of transmission here. The molluscan first intermediate host must be one of the two prosobranch snail species present in the area,Melanoides tuberculataorTomichia natalensis, and the decapod second intermediate host the common river crabPotamonautes sidneyi. All infected cats and dogs had pulmonary infections, while two human cases for which there is sufficient information had extrapulmonary infections. Transmission appears to be ongoing but the invasive snailTarebia graniferamay be competing with bothM. tuberculataandT. natalensis.If so, this may bring transmission to an end.

First report of an outbreak of the oriental eye-fluke, Philophthalmus gralli (Mathis & Leger 1910), in commercially reared ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Zimbabwe

A total of 17 commercially reared ostriches (Struthio camelus) from Msengi farm, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, observed with swollen eyes, severe conjunctivitis and constant lacrimation accompanied by a purulent exudate, were restrained for further clinical examination. Some of the birds were semi-blind with severe loss of body condition. When examined, tiny organisms were observed attached to the nictitating membranes and the conjuctival sacs of both eyes. The organisms were identified as Philophthalmus gralli, the "oriental eye-fluke" and Melanoides tuberculata, a prosobranch snail, was confirmed as the intermediate host through natural and experimental infection. To the best of our knowledge this is the first record of the oriental eye-fluke infection in birds in Zimbabwe and Africa and extends its known geographical range.