ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by Metorchis in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Metorchis spp. are parasites of carnivorous vertebrates. The first descriptions of Metorchis liver flukes, later united in one genus, appeared at the end of the eighteenth century and in the nineteenth century. In 1899, Looss established a new genus, Metorchis. Liver flukes of the genus Metorchis are the causative agents of metorchiasis, a helminthiasis affecting mainly the hepatobiliary system of many piscivorous mammals and birds. Metorchiasis causes severe economic losses in animal husbandry and represents an important public health problem at times. This chapter outlines the key aspects of members of the genus Metorchis persisting in various countries of Eurasia and America, including their classification, morphology, biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The native Canadians examined in Fort Hope, Northwest Ontario, displayed 3%-20% prevalence of acute Metorchis infections.
