Morphological Study on the Eye Worm, Thelazia callipaeda Found from Human Cases in Korea

Recently, the present authors obtained 6 worms (4 females and 2 males) from both eyes of a farmer aged 23. Worms were fixed in 10% formalin, examined, and measured. All of worms were identified as Thelazia callipaeda Railliet and Henry, 1910. The findings of parasitological studies on 21 specimens (12 females and 9 males) removed from 12 cases of human thelaziasis already described in Korea were reviewed together with our findings. And percentages of lengths of main structures to the body length of each worm were also calculated for comparison. Female and male specimeus measured 14.31 and 10.93mm in length, 0.42(2.9%) and 0.34mm(2.8%) in diameter, 0.03(0.2%) in length of buccal cavity, 0.70(5.1%) and 0.56mm(5.2%) in distance from anterior end to esophago-intestinal junction, and 0.08(0.5%) and 0.05mm(0.5%) in length from posterior end to anus or cloaca in average, respectively. Vaginal openings in all of female were located about 0.2mm anteriorly to esophago-intestinal junctions. Minimum and maximum in male worms, respectively. In our 4 female specimens only a pair of processes at terminal of the tail were demonstrated, while in 2 males 8 pairs of precloacal and 3 pairs of postcloacal papillae were noted. Some wrinkle-like structures were observed on ventral and dorsal surfaces in posterior portion of a male specimen.