Immunological detection of chemotherapeutic success in bovine fasciolosis using the specific antigen f2.

An improved hemagglutination (HA) test using the purified specific f2 antigen of Fasciola hepatica has been evaluated with regard to its potential use for the prediction of chemotherapeutic success in natural bovine infections with F. hepatica. Lactating cows (n = 16) from a herd naturally infected with F. hepatica were successively treated with nitroxynil (Dovenix, Specia) and with oxyclozanide (Zanil, ICI) 1 month later. Their f2-specific antibodies were significantly lower than those of a non-treated control group (n = 15) from the second month after the first treatment, and continued to decline thereafter to negative values 5-6 months post-treatment. In a second experiment, culled and fattened cows (n = 32) of unknown fasciolosis history were treated with closantel (Janssen Pharmaceutica). Three months after treatment, f2-specific antibodies of the serologically positive animals (n = 24) were reduced nine-fold. In contrast, in the control group (n = 28), the titers of f2-specific antibodies of the serologically positive animals (n = 21) were not modified significantly. The results show that the f2-HA test is useful for the prediction of chemotherapeutic success in bovine fascioliasis.