Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicente Andrés Estellés s/n, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2012 Aug;31(8):1705-18. doi: 10.1007/s10096-011-1515-4. Epub 2012 Jan 8.
Food-borne trematodiases constitute an important group of the most neglected tropical diseases, not only in terms of research funding, but also in the public media. The Trematoda class contains a great number of species that infect humans and are recognized as the causative agents of disease. The biological cycle, geographical distribution, and epidemiology of most of these trematode species have been well characterized. Traditionally, these infections were limited, for the most part, in populations living in low-income countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, and were associated with poverty. However, the geographical limits and the population at risk are currently expanding and changing in relation to factors such as growing international markets, improved transportation systems, and demographic changes. The diagnosis of these diseases is based on parasitological techniques and only a limited number of drugs are currently available for treatment, most of which are unspecific. Therefore, in-depth studies are urgently needed in order to clarify the current epidemiology of these helminth infections and to identify new and specific targets for both effective diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we describe the biology, medical and epidemiological features, and current treatment and diagnostic tools of the main groups of flukes and the corresponding diseases.
食源性吸虫病是一类重要的被忽视热带病，不仅在研究资金方面，而且在公共媒体方面也是如此。吸虫纲包含了大量感染人类的物种，被认为是疾病的病原体。这些吸虫的大部分生物周期、地理分布和流行病学特征都已得到很好的描述。传统上，这些感染主要局限于生活在低收入国家的人群中，特别是在东南亚地区，并与贫困有关。然而，目前地理范围和受威胁人群正在扩大和变化，这与不断增长的国际市场、改善的交通系统以及人口变化等因素有关。这些疾病的诊断基于寄生虫学技术，目前仅有少数几种药物可用于治疗，而且大多数都是非特异性的。因此，迫切需要进行深入研究，以阐明这些寄生虫感染的当前流行病学，并为有效诊断和治疗确定新的和特定的目标。在这篇综述中，我们描述了主要吸虫类群及其相应疾病的生物学、医学和流行病学特征，以及当前的治疗和诊断工具。
