Fascioliasis in beef cattle in north-west Argentina

Abstract

Two thousand and ninety beef cattle livers from north-west Argentina were inspected at a large slaughterhouse in Salta; 13% were found to have lesions of fascioliasis and these were classified according to their severity. Of the livers condemned 182 (67.2%) were lightly affected, 77 (28.4%) moderately affected and only 12 (4.4%) severely affected. In a field survey 85 animals, mainly between 6 and 18 months old, were slaughtered and 12 (14%) had lesions of fascioliasis. The influence of Fasciola hepatica on weight gain in beef cattle was assessed on 2 farms. Infected animals were divided into 2 groups and I group was treated monthly. Only on 1 farm were the animals exposed continuously to infection. No differences in weight gain were found over 7 and 14 months respectively when compared to untreated controls. It was concluded that fascioliasis is widespread but at a low level in beef cattle.

Epidemiological study of bovine fasciolosis using coprological technique in district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

“…These variations may be due to epidemiology of Fasciola spp, study area, and study design. Our results are different from [42,43] .The highest prevalence in poor condition animals might be due to chronic disease and concurrent infection enhance the susceptibility of fasciolosis. As a result excessive weight loss was observed in those cattle suffering from fasciolosis and the most common sign was loss of weight [16,29].…”

Prevalence of natural ovine fasciolosis shown by demonstrating the presence of serum circulating antigens

“…The presence of F. hepatica eggs in the faeces reveals that mature flukes are located in the bile ducts and/or the gall-bladder. Most of the epidemiological studies on fasciolosis have been carried out by coproscopic analysis (Dwinger et al 1982;Boulard et al 1985;Bouvry and Rau 1986). Nevertheless, it has to be considered that coprological methods cannot detect fasciolosis until 8-12 weeks after infection, when most of the pathological lesions have been formed (Jemli et al 1992;Almazan et al 2001).…”

Prevalence, gross pathological lesions and financial losses of bovine Fasciolosis in Arba Minch Municipal Abattoir, Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia

“…According to Dwinger et al (1982) and Yilma and Mesfin (2000), the number of fluke has no direct relationship with the liver gross lesion as it was observed that relatively less flukes in severely affected livers of beef cattle.…”

“…However, severe fibrosis impedes the passage of immature flukes and acquired resistance and calcification of bile ducts that impaired the further passage of young flukes and play a role by creating unfavorable microenvironment which results in the expulsion of flukes (Dwinger et al, 1982;Ramato, 1992).…”