Food-borne zoonotic trematodes: devious old flukes in an urbanized, global village

Abstract

Food-borne trematodes constitute a family of lung, liver and intestinal flukes that have parasitized mankind and domesticated animals since the distant past. In the modern global village, food-borne trematodes present a daunting challenge of infection with severe morbidity, despite being highly neglected as causes of disease. Urbanization is the population shift from rural to urban centers, as a necessity for industrialization and development. It is currently the hallmark of rapidly developing low and middle income countries and usually characterized by both poor planning and sustainability. In many communities, the population shift observed is mainly due to rural-urban migration. With urban industrialization and globalization however, immigration plays a significant role as well. The most significant effect is seen in rapid population growth, beyond the capacity of available resources. Aside from localized businesses, cuisine and cultural centers are the first and fastest growing establishments in newly emerging urban centers. In the low and middle income countries, water and food safety are most affected in this environment. The opportunity for introduction and transmission of imported water and food-borne trematode infections is particularly high in coastal cities or those emerging around major natural and man-made water bodies. A typical outcome of globalization, urbanization and immigration is a rise in the prevalence and spread of food-borne trematodiases.