Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infection in dogs and cats in subtropical southern China

Rui-Qing Lin,Xiao-Nong Zhou,Jian-Dong Tang,Han Zhang,Dong-Hui Zhou,Mu-Xin Chen,Si-Yang Huang,Hui-Qun Song,Xing-Quan Zhu,Jia-Xu Chen

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-4-180

Abstract

BackgroundClonorchiasis, caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is one of the major parasitic zoonoses in China, particularly in China's southern Guangdong province where the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in humans is high. However, little is known of the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in its reservoir hosts dogs and cats. Hence, the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats was investigated in Guangdong province, China between October 2006 and March 2008.ResultsA total of 503 dogs and 194 cats from 13 administrative regions in Guangdong province were examined by post-mortem examination. The worms were examined, counted, and identified to species according to existing keys and descriptions. The average prevalences of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats were 20.5% and 41.8%, respectively. The infection intensities in dogs were usually light, but in cats the infection intensities were more serious. The prevalences were higher in some of the cities located in the Pearl River Delta region which is the most important endemic area in Guangdong province, but the prevalences were relatively lower in seaside cities.ConclusionsThe present investigation revealed a high prevalence of C. sinensis infection in its reservoir hosts dogs and cats in China's subtropical Guangdong province, which provides relevant "base-line" data for conducting control strategies and measures against clonorchiasis in this region.

Highlights

Clonorchiasis, caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is one of the major parasitic zoonoses in China, in China’s southern Guangdong province where the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in humans is high
Since the 1990s, epidemiological studies of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats have been conducted in many provinces, such as Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, and Hunan [12-18], and the prevalences are summarized in Table 1, because these data were published in local Chinese journals which are not readily accessible to international readers
The average prevalence of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats were 20.5% and 41.8%, respectively, which is a little lower than that in some other surveys in other endemic provinces such as Guangxi [15] (Table 1), but were still unacceptably high. These results demonstrated that C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats was common in Guangdong province and would play an important role in the transmission of C. sinensis between animals and humans

Summary

Introduction

Clonorchiasis, caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is one of the major parasitic zoonoses in China, in China’s southern Guangdong province where the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in humans is high. Snails serve as the first intermediate hosts for C. sinensis and the prevalence is high (up to 15%) in some areas of China, and approximately 140 species of freshwater fishes and four species of shrimp have been recognized as the second intermediate hosts for C. sinensis in China [6]. Many mammals, such as cats, dogs and pigs, serve as definitive hosts or reservoir hosts for C. sinensis [4,7,8]. The prevalence of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats is high but it differs in different areas

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