Contract Award for Topic 388:Point of Care Diagnostics for Liver Flukes Opisthorchis Viverrini and Clonorchis Sinensis

Qoolabs, Inc., Carlsbad CA

Investigators

Abstract

Clonorchiasis and opisthorchiasis are important foodborne diseases caused by liver flukes, Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini species, respectively. Overall, these two flukes are prevalent in East and Southeast Asia, infecting a total of over 40 million people. The long-lived flukes have a life span of 20-30 years, causing chronic inflammation of the bile ducts, leading to suppurative cholangitis, formation of bile duct stone and even development of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). With globalization, flukes are regularly carried to regions outside of its normal distribution by tourists, immigrants, and fish exports/imports. Conventional fecal examination for adult worms and eggs is the gold standard diagnosis of liver flukes, with low detection sensitivity, causing underestimation of infection prevalence significantly. A reliable, sensitive and easy to perform test for detection of active infection, especially for low biomass infection is urgently needed. In this proposal, point of care rapid test for coproantigen detection will be developed for active infections of CS and OP. These POC tests will be available to public health laboratories and all interested parties to identify and treat patients with these liver flukes.