Opisthorchis viverrini: life cycle, intermediate hosts, transmission to man and geographical distribution in Thailand.

Opisthorchis viverrini has been found to be the only species of liver fluke in Thailand. The morphology is similar to that of O. felineus, but it has more deeply lobated testes, situated near the ovary. The appearance and distribution of the vitellaria with few granular clumps and the shorter and wider egg closely resemble that of C. sinensis. The adult worms live in the biliary system. Eggs pass out in faeces. On reaching water the eggs are eaten by snails, the first intermediate host. In the snail the miracidia hatch and develop further through the stages of sporocysts, rediae and cercariae in six to eight weeks. The cercariae then leave the snail, penetrate into susceptible fresh water fish, encyst in the muscle and develop into metacercariae, and infective stage, in six weeks. When ingested by man or animal the metacercariae excyst in the duodenum or jejunum and then migrate to the bile duct. They become mature within four weeks and begin to produce eggs. The life span of the fluke is over 10 years. The snail intermediate hosts are Bithynia goniomphalus, B. funiculata and B. siamensis. Many species of cyprinoid fish serve as second intermediate host; Cyclocheilichthys siaja is the most important. Cats, dogs and many fish eating mammals are definitive hosts. Man and animals acquire infection by eating raw fish containing metacercariae cysts. In Northeast Thailand "Koi-Pla" is the most popular raw fish dish. In 1980-1981 the prevalence in the north, northeast, centre and south of Thailand was 5.59, 34.60, 6.34, and 0.01%, respectively, with an overall prevalence of 14% or 7 million people.