Paragonimiasis is a chronic infection caused by a trematode of the genus Paragonimus, the Paragonimus westermani being the one that most infects man. It is an endemic disease in East Asia, however, it is also seen in America. The authors report two cases of paragonimiasis, in which a patient showed a past history and clinical and radiological characteristics suggestive of this disease, diagnosed by the presence of eggs of P. westermani in the sputum, and another patient, a thoracic post-traumatism empyema whose paragonimiasis diagnosis was a histopathological finding in the pleura after a decortication. This diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of eggs of P. westermani in the sputum.
paragonimiasis
