Abstract
BackgroundClonorchiasis caused by ingesting improperly prepared fish ranks among the most important but still neglected food-borne parasitic diseases, especially in the People’s Republic of China (P.R. China). To promote the implementation of interventions efficiently, the demonstration of an epidemiological profile of Clonorchis sinensis infection is essential in hyper-epidemic areas.MethodsIn one community with higher levels of economic development in Guangdong province, P.R. China, villagers were motivated to provide stool samples for examining helminth eggs. Then, those infected with C. sinensis completed the structured questionnaire including demographical characteristics, knowledge and behavior.ResultsA total of 293 villagers infected with C. sinensis participated in questionnaire investigation. Among them, 94.54% were adult and 93.17% were indigenous. The geometric mean of C. sinensis eggs per gram of feces in the children, adult females and adult males was 58, 291 and 443, respectively. The divergence between knowledge and behavior in the adults, especially the adult males, was shown. Out of 228 persons eating raw fish, 160 did it more frequently at restaurants, the proportion of which varied in different populations, showing 25.00%, 54.88% and 80.28% in the children, adult females and adult males, respectively.ConclusionsDifferent interventions need to be adopted in different populations. Chemotherapy should be prioritized in the adults, especially the adult males. In addition, health education targeting the children, is essential and may play a crucial role in controlling clonorchiasis in the long term. In order to successfully control clonorchiasis, intervention in the restaurant should not be overlooked in some endemic areas.
Highlights
Clonorchiasis caused by ingesting improperly prepared fish ranks among the most important but still neglected food-borne parasitic diseases, especially in the People’s Republic of China
Infection status A total of 1 385 villagers participated in fecal examination. 510 persons were infected with C. sinensis, out of which 5 individuals were co-infected with soil-transmitted helminthes
Difference and even discrepancy in knowledge, behavior and infection intensity existed among different populations
Summary
Clonorchiasis caused by ingesting improperly prepared fish ranks among the most important but still neglected food-borne parasitic diseases, especially in the People’s Republic of China (P.R. China). To promote the implementation of interventions efficiently, the demonstration of an epidemiological profile of Clonorchis sinensis infection is essential in hyper-epidemic areas. Unlike other parasitic diseases, clonorchiasis is endemic both in underdeveloped and developed areas [5,6,14,15,16]. The prevalence of clonorchiasis in Guangdong province ranks the top in P.R. China, especially in the developed Pearl Delta [14,15,19,20]. The epidemiological profile of C. sinensis infection in one community located in the Pearl Delta is presented
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