Potential risk of a liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini infection brought by immigrants from prevalent areas: A case study in the lower Northern Thailand

Abstract

Considering the long lifespan of the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini, human mobility from prevalent regions to other neighboring areas has the possibility to disperse carriers and complicate the opisthorchiasis problem. To evaluate this, mass screening of the fluke infection was conducted in nine communities of lower Northern Thailand, combined with a questionnaire survey to distinguish the participant’s origin. The liver fluke infection was found in 70 individuals (7.2%) of the examined 971 stool samples from seven communities, with light intensity providing small numbers of eggs in the examined stool. Prevalence in the positive communities varied from 2.1% to 28.7%. As a result of generalized linear mixed models fitting, regional origin and raw-fish eating habits were stably selected as variables affecting the parasite infection while occupation and educational background were secondary ones. Majority of the infected cases (64.3%) were found from the immigrants of northeastern Thailand (the fluke prevalent region), providing 2.28–2.42 times higher infectious risk on average against the local residents. Daily consumption of raw fish averaged a 3.12–3.60 times higher risk compared to those with no raw-fish eating habit. Our findings suggest that people’s origin and moving history deserve further attentions in health promotion programs including education for safe eating.