OBJECTIVETo examine Clonorchis sinensis infection in China and evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to prevent and control it, two nationwide surveys were undertaken in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities (PAMs) during 1988-92 (the 1990 survey) and during 2001-04 (the 2003 survey).

METHODSDuring the period 2001-04, two sampling methods were applied. The first method repeated the stratified cluster random sampling used in the 1990 survey; the second method applied two-characteristic stratified cluster random sampling in 27 PAMs-the 2003 endemic area (EA) survey. The Kato-Katz thick smear method was used for the nationwide survey.

RESULTSThe infection rates of Clonorchis sinensis in the 1990 and 2003 surveys were 0.311% and 0.579%, respectively. The infection rate was 2.40% in the 2003 EA survey, and it was estimated that 12.49 million people in China were infected with Clonorchis sinensis.

CONCLUSIONThe 2003 survey showed that the standardized infection rate of Clonorchis sinensis increased by 74.85% compared with the 1990 survey. The infection rate in males was higher than in females; the infection rate among people eating raw fish or eating out frequently was higher than among those who did not.

Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Clonorchiasis ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Clonorchis sinensis ; isolation & purification ; Cluster Analysis ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male

Stool examination is believed to be the most reliable method for detecting Clonorchis sinensis (CS) eggs. However, it has limited value for diagnosing clonorchiasis when the biliary tract is obstructed or when there is a light infection. We evaluated the infection states of CS in patients with biliary tract diseases using a bile sample. From January 2001 to August 2003, 238 patients who had undergone endoscopic biliary drainage were prospectively included in the study. The patients' bile samples were obtained directly from the nasobiliary drainage tube and then analyzed to detect CS eggs. The overall CS egg positive rate was 28.2% (35.4% in males, 19.4% in females). The egg positive rate was similar in all age groups examined: 26.7% in 30-39 years, 25.0% in 40-49 years, 24.4% in 50-59 years, 30.2% in 60-69 years, 35.3% in 70-79 years, and 25.0% in 80 years of age and over. There were no significant differences in the egg positive rate between the disease groups: 32.6% in bile duct cancer, 38.5% in gallbladder cancer, and 26.4% in gallstone diseases. Our results show that the CS infection rate was very high, regardless of the age, gender, and type of diseases of the patients. Although the study population was limited to patients with biliary tract diseases, it is assumed that clonorchiasis is still an endemic disease in Ulsan, Korea.
Korea/epidemiology ; Humans ; Clonorchis sinensis/embryology/*isolation & purification ; Clonorchiasis/complications/*diagnosis ; Biliary Tract Diseases/*complications ; Bile/*parasitology ; Animals

A large-scale survey was conducted to investigate the infection status of fresh water fishes with Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae (CsMc) in 3 wide regions, which were tentatively divided by latitudinal levels of the Korean peninsula. A total of 4,071 freshwater fishes were collected from 3 regions, i.e., northern (Gangwon-do: 1,543 fish), middle (Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do: 1,167 fish), and southern areas (Jeollanam-do, Ulsan-si, and Gyeongsangnam-do: 1,361 fish). Each fish was examined by the artificial digestion method from 2003 to 2010. In northern areas, only 11 (0.7%) fish of 2 species, Pungtungia herzi and Squalidus japonicus coreanus from Hantan-gang, Cheolwon-gun, Gangwon-do were infected with av. 2.6 CsMc. In middle areas, 149 (12.8%) fish were infected with av. 164 CsMc. In southern areas, 538 (39.5%) fish were infected with av. 159 CsMc. In the analysis of endemicity in 3 regions with an index fish, P. herzi, 9 (6.2%) of 146 P. herzi from northern areas were infected with av. 2.8 CsMc. In middle areas, 34 (31.8%) of 107 P. herzi were infected with av. 215 CsMc, and in southern areas, 158 (92.9%) of 170 P. herzi were infected with av. 409 CsMc. From these results, it has been confirmed that the infection status of fish with CsMc is obviously different among the 3 latitudinal regions of the Korean peninsula with higher prevalence and burden in southern regions.
Animals ; Clonorchiasis/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Clonorchis sinensis/*isolation & purification ; Fish Diseases/*epidemiology/parasitology ; Fishes ; Fresh Water ; Korea/epidemiology ; Metacercariae ; Prevalence

In 1932, Loffler described a syndrome of self-limiting, transient pulmonary infiltrates associated with peripheral blood eosinophilia and mild pulmonary symptoms. A number of conditions are related to pulmonary eosinophilia or pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia. Especially, parasitic infestations are often related to pulmonary eosinophilia, but only two cases associated with Clonorchis sinensis have been anecdotally reported in English literature. Here we report a case of migrating pulmonary eosniophilic infiltrations associated with Clonorchis sinensis that was successfully treated with praziquantel. Clonorchiasis should be considered in patients with marked eosinophilia and pulmonary infiltrations.
Animals ; Biopsy ; Clonorchiasis/*complications/*diagnosis ; Clonorchis sinensis/*isolation & purification ; Human ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia/*etiology/pathology/radiography ; Syndrome

This study investigated freshwater fish for their current infection status with metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis in Korea. Twenty-one species of freshwater fish (n = 677) were collected from 34 regions nationwidely from February 2007 to June 2008. They were individually examined by digestion technique. Eight species of freshwater fish from 17 different regions were recognized positive for the metacercariae of C. sinensis. The positive rates (range of metacercariae number per fish) of fish by the species were as follows: 48% (1-1,142) in Pseudorasbora parva, 60% (1-412) in Pungtungia herzi, 15.7% (1-23) in Pseudogobio esocinus, 29% (1-7) in Acheilognathus intermedia, 21% (1-4) in Odontobutis interrupta, 33% (1-6) in Zacco temmincki, 3.6% (1-4) in Zacco platypus, and 26.3% (1) in Hemibarbus labeo. The two species, P. parva and P. herzi, are able to be the index fish for estimation of C. sinensis transmission in a certain locality. Still several species of freshwater fish are briskly transmitting C. sinensis infection in many riverside areas of southern Korea.
Animals ; Clonorchiasis/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Clonorchis sinensis/*isolation & purification ; Fish Diseases/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Fishes ; Fresh Water ; Korea/epidemiology

The pond smelt Hypomesus olidus and minnow Zacco platypus were collected from the Soyang and Daechung Lakes in January 2003, and their metacercarial infections was examined by the muscle compression and artificial digestion techniques. In the Soyang Lake, 161 metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis (0.35 per fish) were harvested from 459 pond smelts examined. Also, 13 metacercariae of C. sinensis (0.43 per fish), 1 of Metagonimus sp., 4 of Echinostoma sp., 148 of Centrocestus armatus and 44 unidentified species were collected from 30 minnows. In the Daechung Lake, 369 metacercariae of C. sinensis (3.69 per fish) and 51 unidentified species were recovered from 100 pond smelts. The metacercariae of C. sinensis were fed to experimental rats, in which the adult flukes were identified. The pond smelts and minnows collected from the Soyang and Daechung Lakes were verified to be the second intermediate hosts and the sources of human C. sinensis infection.
Animals ; Clonorchiasis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Clonorchis sinensis/growth & development/*isolation & purification ; Cyprinidae/*parasitology ; Fish Diseases/parasitology ; Fresh Water ; Host-Parasite Relations ; Korea ; Osmeriformes/*parasitology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The Kato-Katz (KK) method is a well-known method of fecal examination for helminthiases. Its diagnostic sensitivity was found very high for clonorchiasis. The present study evaluated the correlation of Clonorchis sinensis egg counts by the KK method with those by direct smear and formalin-ether (FE) technique. The egg counts obtained by the KK method (Y) were correlated with the counts by direct smear (X) with the equation of Y = 659.4 + 0.266X (r2= 0.738), but not with those by the FE method. The present study demonstrated that the KK method and direct smear were useful for both qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of clonorchiasis, especially in the field.
Animals ; Cellophane ; Clonorchiasis/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Clonorchis sinensis/*isolation & purification ; Comparative Study ; Ether, Ethyl ; Feces/parasitology ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Parasite Egg Count/*methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Animals ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/*diagnosis/parasitology/pathology ; *Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Cholangiocarcinoma/*diagnosis/parasitology/pathology ; Clonorchiasis/*complications/pathology ; Clonorchis sinensis/*isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between clonorchiasis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and analyze the synergistic actions of HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis on HCC development.

METHODSThis hospital-based case-control study was conducted among 444 HCC patients (cases) and 500 non tumor patients (controls) to compare the prevalence of clonorchiasis in the cases and the controls. The risk of clonorchiasis and the synergistic actions between HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis on HCC development were analyzed by crossover analysis and multiple logistic regression.

RESULTSThe prevalence of clonorchiasis in the cases (16.44%) was much higher than that of the controls (2.40%) (X2 = 56.58, P less than 0.01). In the case group, the OR value of those with clonorchiasis was 8.00 (95% CI: 4.34-14.92). The OR value was 4.82 (95% CI: 2.32-10.26) for the subjects whose clonorchiasis was diagnosed less than 10 years before their diagnosis of HCC, and was 17.54 (95% CI: 5.47-57.18) for those whose HCC was diagnosed more than 10 years ago. HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis showed an additive interaction in the development of HCC, with a relative excess risk of interaction of 110.43 and 18.23; attributable proportion of interaction of 0.80 and 0.63; synergy index of 5.18 and 2.84, respectively.

CONCLUSIONClonorchiasis could be an important risk factor for HCC. When the course of clonorchiasis is prolonged, the risk of HCC could increase. HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis might have synergistic actions on the development of HCC.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; parasitology ; Case-Control Studies ; Clonorchiasis ; Clonorchis sinensis ; isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; parasitology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

The 8 kDa antigenic protein of Clonorchis sinensis was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and subsequently by a column chromatographic steps. The purified protein was separated into 7 and 8 kDa protein bands through SDS-tricine gel electrophoresis, while the protein was found to migrate to a 8 kDa band in 7.5-15% SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of the antigen was estimated to be 110 kDa by Superose 6 HR 10/30 gel filtration. The purified antigen strongly reacted with the human sera of clonorchiasis. The hyperimmune sera of BALB/c mice immunized against the 8 kDa protein were reacted with both the crude extract and the excretory-secretory product of adult worms, but not with the metacercarial extract. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that the protein was distributed to the tegument and subtegumental cells and also to the seminal receptacle. The present findings suggest that the 8 kDa protein is a partition of the multicomplex protein originating from various organs of adult C. sinensis, and that it is composed of several 7 and 8 kDa proteins.
Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/immunology/*isolation & purification/metabolism ; Clonorchiasis/immunology ; Clonorchis sinensis/anatomy & histology/*immunology/metabolism ; Helminth Proteins/immunology/*isolation & purification/metabolism ; Human ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Molecular Weight ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't