IMPORTED OPISTHORCHIS-VIVERRINI AND PARASITE INFECTIONS FROM THAI LABORERS IN TAIWAN

In order to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among lab ourers from Thailand in Taiwan, the stool samples from 1364 Thai labou rers were examined by the formalin-ether concentration method and 18.0 % were found to be infected with one or more parasites. The infection rates of hookworm, Opisthorchis viverrini, Strongyloides stercoralis, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hymenolepis nana, Capil laria philippinensis, Schistosoma japonicum, Echinostoma sp., Entamoeb a coli, Giardia lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica, were 7.6%, 7.0%, 3 .2%, 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.1%, 0.1%, 0.1%, 0.1%, 0.4%, 0.2%, and 0.1% respecti vely. The prevalence was highest among the 21-25 age group (24.8%). Am ong the 245 infected persons, 91% were infected with one parasite, 8% with two parasites and 1% with three parasites. The finding that paras itic infections are prevalent among Thai labourers demonstrates the ne ed for control measures in foreign labourers in Taiwan and further stu dies to determine the susceptibility of 0. viverrini to the snail host s of Clonorchis sinensis.