title: Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infection in dogs and cats in subtropical southern China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clonorchiasis, caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is one of the major parasitic zoonoses in China, particularly in China's southern Guangdong province where the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in humans is high. However, little is known of the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in its reservoir hosts dogs and cats. Hence, the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats was investigated in Guangdong province, China between October 2006 and March 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 503 dogs and 194 cats from 13 administrative regions in Guangdong province were examined by post-mortem examination. The worms were examined, counted, and identified to species according to existing keys and descriptions. The average prevalences of C. sinensis infection in dogs and cats were 20.5% and 41.8%, respectively. The infection intensities in dogs were usually light, but in cats the infection intensities were more serious. The prevalences were higher in some of the cities located in the Pearl River Delta region which is the most important endemic area in Guangdong province, but the prevalences were relatively lower in seaside cities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present investigation revealed a high prevalence of C. sinensis infection in its reservoir hosts dogs and cats in China's subtropical Guangdong province, which provides relevant "base-line" data for conducting control strategies and measures against clonorchiasis in this region.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730046, PR China.
authors.forename: Rui-Qing
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jian-Dong
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Dong-Hui
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hui-Qun
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Si-Yang
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jia-Xu
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mu-Xin
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xiao-Nong
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003003:Clonorchiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003004:Clonorchis sinensis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D015995:Prevalence