Opisthorchis felineus

O·pis·thor·chis fe·li·n'e·us

the cat liver fluke, a species frequently found as a human parasite in Eastern Europe, Siberia, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia; adults are shaped like lancets, thin, relatively transparent, and hermaphroditic, with sizes ranging from 7-12 by 2-3 mm; ingested eggs hatch in Bithynia snails, and cercariae encyst on various species of freshwater fish; humans acquire the infection by ingesting raw or inadequately cooked fish; the parasites sometimes cause no evidence of disease, but cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis, and chronic pancreatitis may occur.

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Opisthorchis

(o?pis-thor'kis) [? + orchis, testicle]

A genus of liver flukes endemic to Asia.

Opisthorchis felineus

See: Opisthorchis tenuicollis

Opisthorchis sinensis

A species common throughout Asia, acquired by humans who eat poorly cooked fish that contains the larval forms. O. sinensis is a relatively uncommon cause of biliary obstruction in Western nations.

Opisthorchis tenuicollis

A species found in cats and other mammals. Humans become infected by eating raw or poorly cooked fish containing the larval forms. It was formerly called O. felineus.

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