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A unique instance of a parasitic infection, uncommon in South Korea, has been documented for the first time in a decade.

As per the Medi-Check Research Institute of the Korea Health Management Association on the 16th, a woman in her 60s from Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, went to a nearby internal medicine clinic last year due to symptoms including indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, and headaches. Although blood and stool tests came back normal, a colonoscopy detected four adult parasites.

Genetic testing conducted by the institute identified the parasite as *Echinostoma cinetorchis*, also referred to as the “previous testis echinostome.” This particular species, which is uncommon in South Korea, is a rare trematode that has been documented for the first time in a decade since 2014. Unlike most trematodes, which are usually located in the small intestine, this species was found in the terminal ileum and the large intestine.

The intermediate hosts for *Echinostoma cinetorchis* are mollusks or loaches. People may get infected by eating undercooked intermediate hosts. A woman who ran a street stall selling dasselgi (freshwater snails) and loaches was discovered to have been infected after consuming inadequately cooked dasselgi.

A representative from the research institute mentioned, “Contact with parasite eggs in soil while engaging in tasks such as gathering wild vegetables or gardening may also result in infection. Furthermore, eating raw or insufficiently cooked mollusks like dasselgi or freshwater fish such as sweetfish can be a contributing factor.”

As per the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of documented parasitic infection cases in South Korea has dropped from 3,296 in 2014 to 551 in 2024. Nevertheless, instances of uncommon parasitic infections are still being recorded. The Korea Health Management Association suggests that the sporadic nature of these rare parasitic infections is associated with evolving lifestyle patterns, such as higher levels of international travel, the growing trend of eating out, and an increase in pet ownership.

The organization released the study results, outlining this particular case, in the global publication *Emerging Infectious Diseases* (EID) during August of the previous year.