Survival of adult Clonorchis sinensis in the biliary passages of dead human bodies

ABSTRACT

Adult Clonorchis sinensis were collected from the biliary passage of nine cases of medico-legal autopsies. The worms were washed repeatedly with tap water and rinsed twice with physiological saline. Incubation took place in Tyrode's medium in order to recover live worms. The number of worms surviving in the medium was determined. The rate of surviving worms showed an unexpectedly high percentage (22.8%) in those cases autopsied 2 days after death. The surviving worm burden dropped sharply to 6.3 and 9.2 percent for those samples taken 5 days after death.