Relative importance of meteorological and geographical factors in the distribution ofFasciola hepaticainfestation in farmed sheep in Qinghai province, China

Abstract

Fasciola hepatica is an important trematode parasite of economic importance that infests sheep and cattle worldwide. We conducted a detailed investigation into the spatial distribution of F. hepatica infestation in farmed sheep in Qinghai (Wutumeiren) province, Mainland China. Mathematical modelling was used to assess the inter-relationships between meteorological and geographical factors and the risk of F. hepatica infestation across the province. A capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test (MM3-SERO) was used to detect F. hepatica infestation. A niche model based on the maximum entropy method (MaxEnt) was used to estimate the influence of meteorological and geographical factors on the observed spatial distribution of F. hepatica infestation. Results of jackknife analysis indicated that temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, digital elevation and slope were associated with the occurrence of F. hepatica infestation, and that infestation rates were significantly higher among animals from districts with a high percentage of grassland habitat. The findings indicate that meteorological and geographical factors may be important variables affecting the distribution of F. hepatica infestation and should be taken into account in the development of future surveillance and control programmes for fascioliasis.

Bulk tank milk ELISA to detect IgG1 prevalence and clustering to determine spatial distribution and risk factors of Fasciola hepatica-infected herds in Mexico

“…Bennema et al (2011) reported that annual rainfall is a positive predictor of infection in Belgium, and McCann et al (2010a, b) found the same for dairy herds in England and Wales. An analysis by Qin et al (2016) similarly reported that temperature, rainfall and elevation were associated with F. hepatica infestation in China. Climate conditions impact the development and distribution of the parasite's intermediate molluscan and free-living stages.…”

Prevalence and seasonal variation of Fasciola hepatica in slaughtered cattle: the role of climate and environmental factors in Mexico

“…In China, temperature, rainfall and elevation have been associated with F . hepatica infestation (Qin et al ., 2016). Temperatures greater than 10°C are required for the development of the free-living larval stages and intra-snail stages of the trematode, as well as the development of the parasite's intermediate molluscan (Andrews et al ., 1999; Torgerson & Claxton, 1999).…”

“…Economic losses in the livestock industry exceed USD 3 billion worldwide, including USD 119 million per year in the Mexican cattle industry (Mehmood et al ., 2017; Villa-Mancera & Reynoso-Palomar, 2019b). Infected animals show reduced weight gain, fertility and meat and milk production, as well as liver condemnation in abattoirs, although this condition rarely causes mortality in cattle (Torgerson & Claxton, 1999; Sanchez-Vazquez & Lewis, 2013; Qin et al ., 2016). In Mexico, several recent studies using bulk-tank milk enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) in cattle herds have indicated that the F .…”

High prevalence of fasciolosis and evaluation of the efficacy of anthelmintics against Fasciola hepatica in buffaloes in Guangxi, China

“…Temperature, water and snail are important factors in the epidemicity of F. hepatica . At the same time, rainfall has a positive effect on the development of F. hepatica and reproduction of the snail intermediate host (Mas-Coma et al, 2009; Novobilsky et al, 2014; Qin et al, 2016). The present study confirmed 87.35% prevalence of F. hepatica infections in buffaloes on 58 farms from 8 districts in Guangxi, this is consistent with the results of F.gigantica in Guangxi reported by Passi et al (2009, in Chinses).…”