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Hundreds of millions of people, particularly those who live in
rural areas or deprived urban settings in the developing world,
are at risk of acquiring foodborne trematodiasis and schistosomiasis.1-3
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Foodborne trematodiasis include clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis,
fascioliasis, and opisthorchiasis. These and schistosomiasis all
belong to the subclass of Digenea, class of Trematoda, phylum of Platyhelminthes.
The taxonomy of Platyhelminthes is shown in eFigure 335.1. Digeneans,
also known as flatworms, are characterized by dorsoventral flattening,
presence of an oral sucker and often a ventral sucker, and lack of
a circulatory system.4Figure
335-1 shows, by means of scanning electron microscopy, the
head portion of an adult Clonorchis sinensis (a
liver fluke), clearly depicting some of the typical features of
the Digeneans.
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The endemic regions of the world, global burden and at risk populations
for infection with clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, fasciolopsiasis, opisthorchiasis,
paragonimiasis, and schistosomiasis are summarized in Table
335-1.3,5-10
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