A survey was performed to investigate the infection status of freshwater fish with zoonotic trematode metacercariae in Phnom Penh and Pursat Province, Cambodia. All collected fish with ice were transferred to our laboratory and examined using the artificial digestion method.
In fish from Phnom Penh, 2 kinds of metacercariae Opisthorchis viverrini and Haplorchis yokogawai were detected. In fish from Pursat Province, 5 kinds of metacercariae O. From the above results, it has been confirmed that various freshwater fish play the role of a second intermediate host for zoonotic trematodes O.
Especially, fishborne trematodes FBT provoke a remarkable morbidity among local people as well as a serious damage in aquaculture industry [ 1 - 3 ].
These infections are highly localized in riverside areas, especially where riparian populations have the raw fish eating habit. Cambodia is located in the southern part of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia, and bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Lao PDR to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. Administratively, it is divided into 24 provinces including Phnom Penh Municipality which is located in the central south region, and on the banks of the Tonle Sap Lake, Mekong, and Bassac rivers.
Pursat Province is located in the western part of the country and between the Tonle Sap Lake and the northern end of the Cardamom Mountains [ 10 ]. It has been known that many Cambodian people are infected with helminth parasites, such as soil-transmitted nematodes and FBT including Opisthorchis viverrini [ 11 - 13 ].
