To understanding taxonomic structure of the Paragonimus westermani species complex with a description of the epidemiology, clinic and treatment of paragonimiasis in the South of the Russian Far East

The manuscript raises question of the taxonomic status of representatives of the Paragonimus westermani species complex with an emphasis on lung flukes from the Russian Far East, where paragonimiasis is an endemic disease. The phylogeny was reconstructed using a divergence time calibration methods based on ITS2 and the 28S rRNA gene concatenated nucleotide sequences available in the GenBank database. It was shown that members of the “westermani” species complex are genetically distinct worms, characterized by explosive expansion during Miocene-Pliocene epochs, coinciding with the evolving of big cats, which probably contributed to the spread of paragonimiasis infection throughout continental Asia. Obtained data indicate that the subspecies status of worms that cause paragonimiasis in the south of the Russian Far East and northern China can be raised to the species P. ichunensis, and paragonimids from South Korea should be considered as a variety of P. ichunensis. The species name P. pulmonalis was reinstated for worms from Japan. We propose to consider older Indian worms with type 1 metacercariae as true P. westermani. Worms from India with type 2 metacercariae were left in the paragonimid systematics as Paragonimus sp. In view of the detection of new cases of paragonimiasis in the South of the Russian Far East, we characterized the epidemiology of the disease and described a clinical case of human larval paragonimiasis.

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