Current status of Clonorchis sinensis and clonorchiasis in China

The oriental liver fluke, Clonorchis sinensis, a pathogen causing clonorchiasis, is of major socio-economic importance in East Asia, including China, Korea and Vietnam. This parasite is now recognized as a biocarcinogen strongly linked to cholangiocarcinoma in humans. Here, we describe the status of clonorchiasis in China, where it has been estimated that more than 15 million patients are affected. This paper also summarizes the major advances in the field of clonorchiasis research during last decade, including diagnosis techniques, pathogenesis and genome/transcriptome/proteome studies in the last years. We strongly hope that our work can stimulate the governments of the countries or regions where clonorchiasis is endemic to pay more attention to this disease and establish related guidelines to prevent and control it.