Centro de Investigación en Parasitología Regional (CIPAR), Universidad Juan Agustín Maza, Avenida Acceso Este, Lateral Sur 2245, Guaymallén, Mendoza, Argentina, CP M5519; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CP B7000GHG, Argentina.
Centro de Investigación en Parasitología Regional (CIPAR), Universidad Juan Agustín Maza, Avenida Acceso Este, Lateral Sur 2245, Guaymallén, Mendoza, Argentina, CP M5519.
Acta Trop. 2024 Jun;254:107200. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107200. Epub 2024 Mar 27.
Fascioliasis is a trematodiasis that affects domestic and wild animals as well as humans worldwide. It is a well-recognized disease in livestock, were it produces serious economic losses. Yet in cattle, there is limited information about the burden of liver flukes and its relation to the eggs per gram shed to the environment. There is also lack of knowledge on the effect of parasite load in blood parameters of infected animals, which is important to evaluate the severity and progression of the disease. The objective of this work was to gain insight in these aspects. Cattle from Mendoza province, Argentina, were inspected at a farm and at the abattoir determining the presence or absence of Fasciola hepatica. Each animal was sampled for blood and feces and in the slaughterhouse the livers were inspected. Hematology and blood chemistry parameters were determined, feces were examined for F. hepatica eggs by a quantitative sedimentation technique and livers were thoroughly inspected to determine the number of flukes. Infected cattle presented a mild burden of liver flukes per animal, strongly correlated (r = 0.72) to the number of eggs per gram of feces. The total number of eggs (X̄=35,100) shed per animal to the environment and the type of livestock management techniques in the region exacerbate the role of cattle as efficient reservoirs of this disease. Statistically significant lower red blood cell, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts were observed in infected compared to uninfected animals. All hepatic parameters tested showed highly statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) as well as proteins by cause of rise of globulins in infected cattle. The correlation between the amount of flukes in the liver and the number of eggs per gram of faces indicates coprology as a reliable and cost-effective method to infer parasite burden. The impact of fascioliasis on blood parameters can be of aid for the veterinary practitioner on the assessment of this disease on cattle.
片形吸虫病是一种在世界范围内影响家畜、野生动物和人类的吸虫病。它是一种在牲畜中被广泛认识的疾病，会导致严重的经济损失。然而，在牛中，关于肝片吸虫的负担及其与向环境中排出的每克粪便中的卵数的关系的信息有限。此外，对于感染动物血液参数中寄生虫负荷的影响也缺乏了解，这对于评估疾病的严重程度和进展很重要。这项工作的目的是深入了解这些方面。在阿根廷门多萨省的一个农场和屠宰场检查了牛，确定是否存在肝片形吸虫。对每只动物进行了血液和粪便采样，在屠宰场检查了肝脏。测定了血液学和血液化学参数，用定量沉淀技术检查粪便中是否有肝片形吸虫卵，并仔细检查肝脏以确定吸虫的数量。感染牛的每头动物的肝片吸虫负担较轻，与每克粪便中的卵数呈强相关（r = 0.72）。每头动物向环境中排出的总卵数（X̄=35,100）以及该地区的牲畜管理技术类型加剧了牛作为该疾病有效储存宿主的作用。与未感染动物相比，感染动物的红细胞、淋巴细胞和中性粒细胞计数明显较低。所有测试的肝参数均显示高度统计学差异（p < 0.001），以及由于感染牛球蛋白升高而导致的蛋白质差异。肝脏中吸虫数量与每克粪便中的卵数之间的相关性表明，粪检是一种可靠且具有成本效益的推断寄生虫负担的方法。片形吸虫病对血液参数的影响可以帮助兽医从业者评估牛的这种疾病。
