Institute for Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559, Hannover, Germany.
Parasitol Res. 2012 Sep;111(3):1085-92. doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-2935-5. Epub 2012 May 8.
Fasciolosis, caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica, is one of the most important parasitoses in cattle farming worldwide. In dairy cows, the trematode leads to economic losses due to decreased milk yield, a negative impact on reproduction parameters, and liver condemnations. In the present study, the seasonal patterns of F. hepatica antibodies in bulk-tank milk from dairy herds located in East Frisia, a region of the federal state Lower Saxony in the north of Germany, were investigated. This region was chosen since it is known as a high risk area for fluke infections due to its coastal location at the North Sea with the consequence of rather moist pastures. Between 669 and 868 bulk-tank milk samples were collected in January, September and November 2008 and 2010, respectively, and analysed for antibodies against F. hepatica with an in-house ELISA based on excretory-secretory antigens of the liver fluke. The overall East Frisian prevalence was 49.1%, 57.1% and 53.9% in January, September and November 2008 and 45.1%, 49.5% and 48.4% in 2010. From a number of 606 farms, which were sampled in all six investigated months, 34.5% of the farms continued to remain positive, whereas 30.9% continued to remain negative. A percentage of 69.1% (419 farms) were positive on at least one sampling occasion during the study period. The distributions of optical density ratio (ODR) values were skewed to the left but showed a second, lower peak in a high ODR range. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference concerning the prevalence increase from January to September 2008. Furthermore, the prevalence decrease from September as well as November 2008 to these months in 2010 was significantly different, what might result from a more frequent use of anthelminthics or different climatic conditions.
肝片吸虫病是由肝片吸虫引起的，是世界范围内最重要的牛寄生虫病之一。在奶牛中，这种吸虫会导致产奶量下降、繁殖参数受到负面影响以及肝脏受损，从而造成经济损失。本研究调查了位于德国下萨克森州北部沿海地区东弗里斯兰的奶牛场的奶样中肝片吸虫抗体的季节性模式。选择该地区是因为其位于北海沿岸，土壤潮湿，因此已知是吸虫感染的高风险地区。2008 年 1 月、9 月和 11 月以及 2010 年 1 月、9 月和 11 月分别采集了 669 至 868 份奶样，并使用基于肝片吸虫排泄分泌抗原的内部 ELISA 检测抗肝片吸虫抗体。2008 年 1 月、9 月和 11 月，整个东弗里斯兰的总体流行率分别为 49.1%、57.1%和 53.9%，2010 年分别为 45.1%、49.5%和 48.4%。在所有 6 个月进行采样的 606 个农场中，34.5%的农场持续呈阳性，而 30.9%的农场持续呈阴性。在研究期间，有 69.1%（419 个农场）的农场至少有一次呈阳性。光密度比（ODR）值的分布向左偏，但在高 ODR 范围内出现第二个较低的峰值。统计分析表明，2008 年 1 月至 9 月期间的流行率增加具有显著差异。此外，2008 年 9 月和 11 月至 2010 年这些月份的流行率下降也存在显著差异，这可能是由于更频繁地使用驱虫剂或不同的气候条件所致。
