Opisthorchiasis | |
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Specialty | Infectious diseases, helminthologist |
Opisthorchiasis is a parasitic disease caused by certain species of genus Opisthorchis (specifically, Opisthorchis viverrini and Opisthorchis felineus). Chronic infection may lead to cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts.
Medical care and loss of wages caused by Opisthorchis viverrini in Laos and in Thailand costs about $120 million annually.[1] In Asia, infection by Opisthorchis viverrini and other liver flukes affects the poorest people.[2] Along with other foodborne trematode infections such as clonorchiasis, fascioliasis and paragonimiasis,[3] opisthorchiasis is listed among the World Health Organization's list of neglected tropical diseases.[2]