Remarks on the diagnosis of Clonorchis sinensis infection

A number of techniques have been developed for the diagnosis of Clonorchis sinensis infection. Although the most reliable technique for this infection are the various stool examinations in the laboratory, practical problems such as difficulties of stool collection and mass examinations need more applicable methods for epidemiological studies. During past decades some serologic and immunologic methods such as intradermal skin test, gel-diffusion technique, complement fixation test, haemagglutination test, fluorescent antibody test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) have been introduced for the diagnosis of clonorchiasis in Korea, but satisfactory results have not been obtained especially in field work because of the lack of available purified antigen. From this viewpoint it is essential to undertake careful isolation and purification of specific antigens. Recently ELISA has been well established as a micro-system for mass survey. In spite of the complexity of its procedures in contrast to the skin test the results obtained explain its importance. In this paper available serologic and immunologic methods for the diagnosis of clonorchiasis used at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, are reviewed, and the results from skin test and ELISA are compared and discussed.