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Human liver
fluke infection caused by
Clonorchis sinensis,
Opisthorchis viverrini and O. felineus remains a
major
public health problem as 35 million people are infected
and more than 600 million are at risk of the infections. Of
those infected, majority of cases live in Asia; C. sinensis
endemic in south China, northern Vietnam, and Korea while
O. viverrini is found mainly in Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia
and central Vietnam. Human fascioliasis caused by
Fasciola sp.
is frequently reported in Vietnam. In Northeast Thailand and
Laos, despite widespread administration of
the anthelmintic drug
praziquantel, the prevalence of O. viverrini approaches
70% in some endemic areas. The
infections are associated with
several hepatobiliary diseases including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA),
the primary liver
cancer that arises from biliary epithelial
cells. In Thailand, this liver cancer is the most prevalent of
the fatal
neoplasias which ranks top 5 DALYs, and rates of CCA
in regions where the parasite is endemic are
unprecedented - CCA
is responsible for about 19% of liver cancers in the U.S.A. but
represents 86.5% of cancers in
Thailand's Khon Kaen region, the
highest incidence in the world. |
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Despite the high prevalence of the liver flukes and their
associated
hepatobiliary impacts, the infections are relatively
neglected by the
responsible governments and international
health organizations.
Therefore, in 2007 at the
7th
Regional Network on Asian Schistosomiasis and Other Helminth
Zoonoses (RNAS+) Workshop and the First International Symposium
on Geospatial Health during 5-10
September 2007
held in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, PR China, several
researchers
drawn from
endemic countries of the liver
flukes
(Opisthorchis,
Clonorchis & Fasciola)
in Asia including Thailand,
Lao
PDR,
Vietnam, Cambodia, P.R. China and Korea, agreed to
establish
the Asian Liver Fluke Network in order to exchange
expertise, |
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collaborate and cooperate in liver fluke
research to fight against the infection in
this region. Not only epidemiology but also basic sciences on
the liver fluke biology, molecular biology, pathobiology,
immunology, diagnosis, and vector biology will be studied. The
Asian Liver Fluke Network will organize meetings, seminars;
train Asian scientists in aspects relevant to our research
topics. The Network will establish website and e-newsletters as
tools for communication with members and global communities. |
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Copyright ©
2007 Asian Liver Fluke Network. All Rights Reserved. |
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