Determining the Prevalence and Seasonality of Fasciola hepatica in Pasture-based Dairy herds in Ireland using a Bulk Tank Milk ELISA

Abstract

BackgroundFasciola hepatica is a helminth parasite of global importance in livestock, with major economic impact. However information on F. hepatica infections in Irish pasture-based dairy herds is limited. Therefore this study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence, seasonality and management factors associated with F. hepatica. A total of 319 Irish dairy herds were selected for this study. Bulk tank milk (BTM) samples were collected from 290 dairy farms on a quarter year basis, while from a further 29 dairy farms BTM samples were collected on a monthly basis to provide a more detailed pattern of F. hepatica exposure in Irish herds. BTM samples were analysed using a commercially available F. hepatica antibody detection ELISA. Furthermore, within-herd prevalence of F. hepatica was assessed in a subset of these 29 herds (n = 17); both individual serum samples and bulk tank milk samples were collected.ResultsA within-herd prevalence of ≤ 50 % was found for herds with negative bulk tank milk samples. The mean prevalence of the 290 study herds was 75.4 % (Range 52 %–75.1 %), with the highest prevalence being observed in November (75.1 %). The seasonal pattern of F. hepatica shows elevated antibodies as the grazing season progressed, reaching a peak in January. A significant association was found between F. hepatica and age at first calving.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that F. hepatica is present in a large proportion of Irish dairy herds and provides a basis on which control practices, particularly in adult dairy cows, can be reviewed.

Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) co‐infection with bovine tuberculosis in cattle: A prospective herd‐level assessment of herd bTB risk in dairy enterprises

“…This test has very similar performance to other ELISA based tests used to assess fluke prevalence and seasonal variation thereof, allowing for cross‐comparison (e.g. Ildana Biotech Kit, Dublin, Ireland, with a reported SE/SP of 98%; Bloemhoff et al, ).…”

Antibody recognition of cathepsin L1-derived peptides in Fasciola hepatica-infected and/or vaccinated cattle and identification of protective linear B-cell epitopes

“…The disease results in important economic losses to the agricultural community globally, as well as being an highly prevalent food-borne zoonosis, with 180 million of people at risk [1][2][3][4]. F. hepatica infection has a prevalence of 76% in cattle in the Republic of Ireland, and an estimated prevalence of 78% in the UK [5,6]. Due to the increase in anthelmintic resistance in parasite populations, and the inherent difficulties in developing anthelmintics [7][8][9], a vaccine-based approach to aid in the control of fasciolosis is urgently needed.…”

“…A recombinant mutant version of FhCL1 (rmFhCL1), expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Pichia pastoris [23,27], which does not autocatalytically activate, is useful as a reliable immunodiagnostic tool in Fasciola hepatica infections in cattle [5,28]. rmFhCL1 has also been used as a vaccine antigen that was capable of reducing fluke burdens in cattle by 48.2 % [29]; However, other trials have not shown a similar reduction in fluke burden, although in a study with goats, a significant decrease in liver pathology was found [30][31][32].…”

Comparison of recombinant cathepsins L1, L2, and L5 as ELISA targets for serodiagnosis of bovine and ovine fascioliasis

“…These molecules were selected since (i) they are produced by adult flukes and thus continue stimulating the immune system during the chronic phase of the illness, and (ii) Fasciola cathepsins L1, L2, and L5 contain a common epitope recognized by mAb MM3, which is the capture antibody in the MM3-SERO ELISA (Mezo et al 2007). Although rFhpCLs from the L1 clade have already been successfully used to develop a very sensitive and specific lateral flow test for immunodiagnosis of human fascioliasis , as well as to design ELISA tests for human (O'Neill et al 1999;Carnevale et al 2001a, b;Gonzales Santana et al 2013;Gottstein et al 2014) and animal use (Cornelissen et al 2001;Kuerpick et al 2013;Selemetas et al 2014;Bloemhoff et al 2015), the performance of rFhpCLs from L2 and L5 clades as ELISA targets has not previously been investigated. From a functional point of view, a single amino acid substitution may be sufficient to affect substrate specificity in cysteine proteases from F. hepatica (Smooker et al 2000).…”