A disease caused by liver flukes from the Opisthorchis species, e.g. O. viverrini seen widely in southeast Asia. See also cholangiocarcinoma.
n. a condition caused by the presence of the parasitic fluke *Opisthorchis in the bile ducts. The infection is acquired through eating raw or undercooked fish that contains the larval stage of the parasite. Heavy infections can lead to considerable damage of the tissues of the bile duct and liver, progressing in advanced cases to *cirrhosis. Symptoms may include loss of weight, abdominal pain, indigestion, and sometimes diarrhoea. The disease is treated with praziquantel.
n. a genus of parasitic flukes occurring in E Europe, Russia, India, Japan, and SE Asia. O. felineus is normally a parasite of fish-eating mammals but humans can become infected after eating raw or undercooked fish. The adult flukes, which live in the bile ducts, can cause *opisthorchiasis.... opisthorchis
Health Encyclopedia