Clonorchis sinensis
is a multicellular parasite that causes infection when ingested in raw or undercooked freshwater fish. Symptoms of Clonorchis infection include abdominal pain, intermittent diarrhea, jaundice, and anemia. Diagnosis is accomplished by finding ova in the feces. Because it is most common in China and the Far East and may reside in the liver of an infected host, the common name of Clonorchis is the "Chinese liver Fluke". The adult Clonorchis is flat like a leaf; thus it is in the phylum Platyhelminthes and the class Trematoda (flukes). Trematodes are leaf-shaped parasites that have a simple digestive tract and at least one intermediate molluscan host (in this case a snail).
Clonorchis adults are monoecious , with both sexes occurring in a single organism. The adult produces ova which are then shed in human feces and are used for diagnosis.
Click on each image to see the enlarged version.
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| 1. adult 12 X | 2. ova 400 X | 3. ova 400 X | 4. ova 400 X | 5. ova 400 X |
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| 6. ova 400 X | 7. ova 1000 X | 8. ova 1000 X | 9. ova 1000 X | 10. ova 1000 X |
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