Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke)

Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke) – General Information

Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke) – Symptoms

Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke) – Treatment

This kind of condition can appear in humans as much as in animals. In humans, the diagnosis of Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke) can be made parasitologically by testing the fluke eggs in the patient’s stool. There are many coprological tests of the stool, but if they are applied alone, are not precise because infected patients experience present clinical manifestations before the eggs can be found in the stools. There are cases in which the eggs cannot be present at all in the patient’s feces, even after multiple fecal examinations. In some countries, doctors apply certain immunonological tests and the most common form of this test is the ELISA test, or the enzyme innmunoelectrotransfer blot, also known as Western blot, which can be considered the most important way in diagnosing this serious type of fluke. These kinds of tests are based on the detections of specific antibodies from sera. Usually, the antigenic compounds used in these test are made from certain extracts of the secretory products from adult worms, or with partially purified fractions. There are also some cases in which doctors apply biochemical and hematological tests of the patient’s sera, which can be very precise in diagnosing the disease. Some doctors can also apply abdominal ultrasonography and RTG, biopsy of the patient’s liver and gallbladder punctuate to diagnose Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke).

There are cases in which the individual can present eggs in the stools, but being diagnosed healthy, because the presence of eggs can derive from a recent ingestion of the infected liver or an actual infection. In these cases, doctors can easily misdiagnose the condition, and can be avoided by prescribing the patient a liver free diet several days before the stool examination. The most common medicine, and also the most efficient and safe used to treat the Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke) is triclabendazole or Egaten, which can be administered in 10-12 mg/kg. There are also certain countries in which nitazoxanide proved to be very effective in treating human patients. In some countries doctors apply bithionol to treat Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke). Depending on each area of the globe, medicines available to treat this kind of medical condition are classified in five main chemical categories such as halogenated phenols which can include bithionol or Bitin, hexachlorophene or Bilevon, nitroxynil or Trodax; salicylanilides which can include closantel or Flukiver, Supaverm, rafoxanide or Flukanide, Ranizole; benzimidazoles which can include triclabendazole or Fasinex, albendazole or Vermitan, Valbazen, mebendazol or Telmin, luxabendazole or Fluxacur; sulphonamides which can include clorsulon or Ivomec Plus; phenoxylkanes which can include diamphenetide or Coriban; and praziquantel. Triclabendazole (Fasinex) is considered an efficient medicine because it can act against adult as well as juvenile flukes. There are cases in which the treatment is administrated improperly and Opisthorchis Viverrini (Liver Fluke) can cause severe complications such as severe anemia and, pancreatitis, which can appear especially in children than in adults, or other rarer complications such as ectopic foci of infection, hemoperitoneum, subcapsular hematoma, hepatic mass, cholecystitis and ascending cholangitis.