''Opisthorchis felineus'', or cat liver fluke is a

trematode Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive h ...

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

that infects the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

in mammals. It was first discovered in 1884 in a cat's liver by Sebastiano Rivolta of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In 1891,

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

parasitologist, Konstantin Nikolaevich Vinogradov (1847–1906) found it in a

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

, and named the parasite a "Siberian liver fluke". In the 1930s,

helminthologist Helminthology is the study of parasitic worms (helminths). The field studies the Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of helminths and their effects on their host (biology), hosts. The origin of the first compound of the word is the Greek ''wikt:ἕλ� ...

Hans Vogel of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

published an article describing the

life cycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia *Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring * Life-cycle hypothesis ...

of ''Opisthorchis felineus''.
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Felineus infections may also involve the pancreatic ducts. Diagnosis of Opisthorchis infection is based on microscopic identification of parasite eggs in stool specimens. Safe and effective medication is available to treat Opisthorchis infections. Adequately freezing or cooking fish will kill the parasite.

Distribution

Distribution of ''Opisthorchis felineus'' include: Spain, Italy, Albania, Greece, France, Macedonia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Turkey, and Caucasus.

Life cycle

The first intermediate hosts of the parasite are freshwater snails: * '' Bithynia inflata'' (synonym: '' Codiella inflata'') * ''

Bithynia troschelii ''Bithynia transsilvanica'' is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic prosobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Bithyniidae.Bouchet, P. (2013). Bithynia transsilvanica Bielz, 1853. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register ...

'' * ''

Bithynia leachii ''Bithynia leachii'' is species of small freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic prosobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Bithyniidae. Distribution It is a Palearctic species found in North Africa and Europe to East Siberia. * ...

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(1995). ''Control of Foodborne Trematode Infection''. WHO Technical Report Series. 849
PDF part 1PDF part 2
page 125-126. * '' Bithynia tentaculata'' The second intermediate hosts are

freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, especially the difference in levels of ...

: '' Leuciscus idus'', '' Tinca tinca'', ''

Abramis brama The common bream, freshwater bream, bream, bronze bream, carp bream or sweaty bream (''Abramis brama''), is a European species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is now considered to be the only species in the genus ''Abramis''. ...

'', white-eye bream ''Ballerus sapa'', '' Barbus barbus'', common carp ''Cyprinus carpio'', ''

Blicca bjoerkna ''Blicca bjoerkna'', alternatively called the white bream or the silver bream, is a European species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. Distribution ''Blicca bjoerkna'' is distributed across most of Europe and in adjacent Western Asi ...

'', '' Leuciscus idus'', '' Alburnus alburnus'', '' Aspius aspius'', and

common rudd The common rudd (''Scardinius erythrophthalmus'') is a bentho-pelagic freshwater fish, widely spread in Europe and middle Asia, around the basins of the North, Baltic, Black, Caspian and Aral seas. Identification Morphologically, this specie ...

''Scardinius erythropthalmus''. The definitive hosts are fish-eating mammals such as dogs, foxes, cats, rats, pigs, rabbits, seals, lions, wolverines, martens, polecats and humans.

Effect on human health

It is estimated that 1.5 million people in Russia are infected with the

. Inhabitants of

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

acquire the infection by consuming raw, slightly salted and frozen fish.

Opisthorchiasis 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. ...

, the disease caused by ''Opisthorchis felineus'', ranges in severity from asymptomatic infection to severe illness. Patient outcome is dependent on early detection and treatment. Human cases of opisthorchiasis may affect the liver,

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an en ...

, and gall bladder. If not treated in the early stages, opisthorchiasis may cause

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...

of the liver and increased risk of liver cancer, but may be asymptomatic in children. Two weeks after flukes enter the body, the parasites infect the biliary tract. Symptoms of infection include

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

, general felling of tiredness,

skin rash A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cr ...

, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Severe

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...

and liver damage may also incapacitate the infected person for 1–2 months. Treatment of opisthorchiasis is generally with a single dose of

praziquantel Praziquantel (PZQ), sold under the brandname Biltricide among others, is a medication used to treat a number of types of parasitic worm infections in mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. In humans specifically, it is used to treat sc ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1343161 Animals described in 1895 Parasites of cats Zoonoses Plagiorchiida

Distribution

Life cycle

Effect on human health

See also

References

External links