Trematodiasis

Trematodiasis is a group of parasitic infections caused by different species of flukes, in humans mainly by digenean trematodes. Symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the species, number and location of trematodes in the infected organism. Symptoms depend on the type of trematode present, and include chest and abdominal pain, high temperature (fever), digestion issues, cough and shortness of breath (dyspnea), diarrhoea and change in appetite. Trematodiases can be transmitted through food or water that contains larval forms of the parasite. Infections can be transmitted through aquatic organisms which act as a host for the maturity of the parasite. Foodborne trematodiasis is transmitted when organisms ingest contaminated undercooked food including aquatic plants and organisms. Other trematodiases caused by the blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma are transmitted by contact with water contaminated by swimming larvae of a different stage of development or infective stage than in foodborne trematodes. This article focuses on foodborne trematodiases. Trematodiases can be prevented and controlled through public health programs aimed at educating people about how contaminated water and food can lead to infections. Education programs include raising awareness about the transmission of trematodiases through the consumption of food that is not cooked well such as fish, molluscs, and other aquatic animals and plants. Sanitation and distribution of clean water are also used to control the spread of trematodiases on a larger scale. Foodborne trematodiases that involve the lung, liver and intestines are classified as a neglected tropical disease, as is schistosomiasis. Cases of trematodiases that can be transmitted through food has affected over 70 countries globally, with the most impacted countries located in Latin America and Asia. According to the World Health Organization recorded that there are approximately 200,000 cases of foodborne trematodiases that are caused by four kinds of trematodes: Clonorchis,...