Clinical Changes Caused by the Liver Fluke Metorchis conjunctus in

784 Watson and Croll
occurred in Experiment 1. These changes generally are associated with inflammatory
reactions and occur in obstructive jaundice, probably because of increased serum
lipid [6, 181. Changes in y globulin were inconsistent in both infected and uninfected
cats. This may explain the apparent lack of resistance to re-infection seen in
Experiment 3. There was a good correlation between the albumin and globulin
change and infection (R = 0.7884; PR>R = 0.001). The a1bumin:globulin ratio was
depressed in cat 7 and there was a tendency for it to be depressed, though not
significantly, in infected cats in Experiment 1.
Leucine aminopeptidase is concentrated in the biliary epithelium and is even more
specific as an indicator of biliary disease than alkaline phosphatase. It increased
significantly in infected cats. Alanine aminotransferase (SGPT) increased signifi-
cantly between days 6 and 16 post-infection, suggesting acute hepatocellular damage,
even in the absence of clinical signs. While this is an excellent indicator of hepato-
cellular lesions, it also may be elevated in muscle or cardiac damage. Serum bilirubin
was elevated significantly only in cat 7, which had severe icterus. The lack of
conclusive hematological or serological abnormalities in metorchiasis in man [7]
probably results from the transitoriness of many of these changes. In man, the acute
clinical features of opisthorchiasis and clonorchiasis are brief [lo, 14, 21, 261.
Direct mechanical effects can be seen in histological sections. The attachment of
the suckers to the biliary epithelium, adherence of hepatocytes and inflammatory
cells to the worms, atrophy of the epithelium and the presence of host cells in the
parasite's caeca all indicate direct mechanical damage. Lesions ascribed to natural
infections of M. albidus in cats in Europe are similar to those seen in our experiments
116, 231.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of
Canada for a grant to Neil A. Croll, which partially financed this project. Research at the
Institute of Parasitology is supported by N.S.E.R.C. and the Formation des Chercheurs et
d'Action ConcertCe du Ministere de l'Education du Quebec.
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3 BHAMERAPRAVATI, N.; THAMMAIRT, W.; VAJRASTHIRA, S.: Liver changes in hamsters
infected with a liver fluke of man, Opisthorchis viverrini. Am J Trop Med Hyg 27787-794,
1978
4 CHOI, D.W.; KIM, J.W.; PARK, S.B.: Laboratory findings in symptomless clonorchiasis.
Kor J Parasitol88-12, 1970
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