RT Book, Section A1 Rosenthal, Philip J. A2 Papadakis, Maxine A. A2 McPhee, Stephen J. A2 Rabow, Michael W. A2 McQuaid, Kenneth R. SR Print(0) ID 1193137986 T1 Clonorchiasis & Opisthorchiasis T2 Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2023 YR 2023 FD 2023 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781264687343 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193137986 RD 2024/03/29 AB Infection by Clonorchis sinensis, the Chinese liver fluke, is endemic in areas of Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the far eastern part of Russia. An estimated 15 million people are infected (13 million in China); in some communities, prevalence can reach 80%. Opisthorchiasis is principally caused by Opisthorchis felineus (regions of the former Soviet Union) or Opisthorchis viverrini (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam). Clonorchiasis and opisthorchiasis are clinically indistinguishable. Parasite eggs are shed into water in human or animal feces, where they infect snails, which release cercariae, which infect fish. Human infection follows ingestion of raw, undercooked, or pickled freshwater fish containing metacercariae. These parasites excyst in the duodenum and ascend into the biliary tract, where they mature and remain for many years, shedding eggs in the bile (eFigure 35–24).