Abstract:

This study aimed to understand the current status of Clonorchis sinensis infection in Ninghai County, the place of infection, and the knowledge and practice among the general population in Ninghai County, in order to evaluate the spread of the disease.Five towns namely Yuelong, Chalu, Shenzhen, Liyang, and Huchen were randomly selected for survey.One administrative village with streams nearby was selected from each of the towns for sampling feces from humans aged above 3 and from dogs.The modified Kato thick smear method was used to examine eggs of C.sinensis.The second intermediate host fish (Pseudorasbora parva) was also sampled to examine metacercaria in muscles on the back using the tabletting method.The knowledge and practice survey was performed on 30 randomly selected persons in each village.The results showed that among 1 034 human and 25 dog feces in 5 villages, no C.sinensis eggs were found.Of the 381 P.parva collected, the metacercariae rate was 13.39% (51/381).The knowledge and practice survey was performed on 150 people, and 145 valid questionnaires were returned.The awareness rate of clonorchiasis prevention was 13.10% (19/145), 46.21% (67/145) reported separate use of raw and cooked dishes, 7.59% (11/145) usually ate raw, half-cooked fish and shrimp, 4.14% (6/145) expressed the willingness to take a try of raw fish, 82.76% (120/145) would choose to buy anthelmintics if infected, and 2.67% (4/145) would not quit the raw or half-raw fish or shrimp diet after remedy of the disease.These results imply a predisposition to infection from P.parva, a low awareness rate of C.sinensis infection among the general population, and a high risk of infection arising from lifestyles.Therefore, healthy diet and lifestyle should be advocated.

Key words: Metacercaria, Clonorchis sinensis, Endemic situation, Intermediate host, Knowledge