Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infection in fish in South‐East Asia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Clonorchis sinensis, an important fish‐borne zoonotic trematode, is widely distributed in South‐East Asia, especially in China. Infections from human and animal reservoir hosts occur due to the consumption of raw or undercooked fish with C. sinensis metacercariae. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of C. sinensis metacercariae in fish in South‐East Asia via systematic review and meta‐analysis. We searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and Chongqing VIP databases for studies published between 1976 and 2020 that are related to the prevalence of C. sinensis metacercariae in fish. Studies were screened with keywords based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seventy‐one eligible articles were identified, covering three countries: China, Korea and Vietnam. The pooled prevalence of C. sinensis metacercariae in fish from South‐East Asia was 30.5%, with 35.1% in China, 29.7% in Korea and 8.4% in Vietnam. In subgroup analyses of climate, season, water source and publication date, the highest prevalence was identified in the Dwb climate type (43.3%), summer (70.2%), river (34.5%) and pre‐2001 publications (38.9%), respectively. In comparison, the lowest prevalence was found in the Dfa climate type (14.5%), winter (19.5%), lake (8.0%) and post‐2001 publications (23.8%). Meta‐regression results indicated that country (p = .009), the published time (p = .035) and water source subgroups (p = .003) may be the source of heterogeneity. Overall, our study indicates that a high prevalence of C. sinensis infections occurs in fish in China, Korea and Vietnam, illuminating a significant public health concern in these countries.