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Chuquiraga weberbaueri “amaro” (Asteraceae) is a plant species popularly used for the treatment of animal fasciolosis in Peru. However, biological and chemical studies of this species remain scarce. Hence, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the anthelmintic effect of the hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts of C. weberbaueri leaves on Fasciola hepatica, through a controlled and a therapeutic efficacy test in artificially infected sheep. In addition, the chemical composition of the extracts was evaluated using phytochemical screening and analysis by UHPLC-MS/MS. Among the evaluated extracts, the aqueous extract proved to be the most efficient and of low toxicity against F. hepatica, inhibiting about 70% of its oviposition, using a 100 mg/kg dose. The chemical study showed that the major constituents were phenolic derivatives, such as chlorogenic acid and ethyl caffeate, with the notable presence of flavonoids, saponins, and lactones. Therefore, it was possible to observe the antihelmintic effect of the C. weberbaueri on the F. hepatica, which suggests the use of this plant extract as a potential alternative in the sheep fasciolosis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Infection of humans and animals with Fasciola spp. poses a threat to both the health of humans and animals and the animal industry. In the pastoral areas of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, yak is the most important economic animal, especially for the herdsmen and their animal products. However, the infection of yaks with Fasciola spp. is often underestimated. In this study, we investigated a total of 1784 yaks in 16 administrative counties in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region by fecal examination and autopsy of yaks after slaughter, and the differences in infection rates between different age groups and regions were analyzed. The clustering characteristics of the infection rates in spatial statistics were summarized. This investigation revealed that yaks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau had a high Fasciola spp. prevalence (17.32%), age was a risk factor for Fasciola spp. infection, and regional differences were the other risk factor for Fasciola spp. infection. The objective of this investigation was to understand the epidemiology of fascioliasis in yaks in the alpine pastoral areas of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China. The prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection was estimated by examining eggs in the feces of yaks and by autopsy after the slaughter. Yaks were sampled from a total of 16 representative counties in Qinghai province, and risk factors were assessed based on regional and age characteristics. Fecal samples were obtained from 1542 yaks aged 0–1 (<1 year old), 1–2 (≥1 year old and <3 years old), and over 3 years (≥3 years old). In addition, 242 yaks over 3 years old who had not undergone fecal examinations were randomly selected for autopsy. A total of 267 fecal samples were positive for Fasciola spp. eggs. The average infection rate was 17.32% (0–60.61%), and the average infection intensity was 51.9 eggs per gram (epg) of feces, with intensities ranging from 18 to 112 epg. In Maduo, Dari, Zhiduo, Chengduo, and Datong counties, the Fasciola spp. eggs infection rate was zero. Fasciola spp. adult flukes were detected in 66 out of 242 yaks at autopsy, with a total infection rate of 27.27% and an average infection intensity of 21.2 (adult worms), with intensities ranging from 3 to 46 worms. Logistic regression model analysis showed that age was a significant risk factor for yak infection with Fasciola spp. In addition, the risk varied between regions: Haiyan, Gangcha, Duran, and Wulan were all high-risk areas for yak infection with Fasciola spp. The spatial distribution of the Fasciola spp. infection rate in each region showed a very weak negative correlation (Moran's I = −0.062), Duran formed a spatial distribution of high–low clusters with surrounding areas, and Datong formed a low–high clustering distribution characteristic with the surrounding areas. This investigation revealed that the infection rate of Fasciola spp. in yaks was higher on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Increasing age was a risk factor for infection with Fasciola spp.; different regions also have a different risk of Fasciola spp. infection. Only two regions showed clustering characteristics in the spatial distribution of infection rates. These findings extend the epidemiological information on Fasciola spp. infection in yaks and provide baseline data for the execution of control measures against Fasciola spp. infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global financial market is still highly threatened by bovine fasciolosis, a parasitic infection that targets cattle, mainly in tropical regions. Binary combination of ivermectin (IVER) and clorsulon (CLO), in challenging concentration ratios, is typically indicated for treatment and control of fasciolosis. Objective: The present study aims at smart simultaneous spectrophotometric assay of both compounds at their high ratio in marketed formulation and synthetic mixtures, without any prior separation. Furthermore, their greenness profile was evaluated and compared with previous reported assay methods, including the official one. Methods: Mathematical-based proposed methods are the dual-wavelength, induced dual-wavelength, and first derivative ratio methods. Each is developed, optimized, and applied to determine simultaneously IVER and CLO at linear ranges of 1-30 and 5-40lg/mL, respectively. They have been validated according to ICH guidelines. Statistical Student t-tests and F-tests compared the proposed methods with a USP chromatographic technique. Ecological appraisal is accomplished using three independent metrics: Analytical Eco-Scale (AES), Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), and Analytical GREEnness Metric Approach (AGREE). Results: Satisfactory recoveries, ICH compliance, and adherence of proposed methods to the ecological safety margin are achieved. Conclusions: Developed methods are eco-friendly and cost-effective and can accomplish a routine quantitative quality control for concurrent determination of both drugs. Highlights: Veterinary antimicrobials need analytical quality control using safer and green methodologies. Data manipulated spectral analyses of IVER and CLO, in a ratio of 1:10% (v/v), are developed and optimized. AES, GAPI, and AGREE approaches illustrate the high green compliance in respect to assays reported in the literature. Furthermore, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) assay for IVER and CLO in injectable dosage form depends on analysis of each drug separately in the presence of the other drug, but it cannot determine both drugs simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triclabendazole is an effective and well‐tolerated treatment for human fascioliasis. A placebo‐ and positive‐controlled, four‐sequence by four‐period crossover study was conducted in 45 healthy participants to assess the effect of therapeutic (10 mg/kg twice daily [b.i.d.] for 1 day) and supratherapeutic (10 mg/kg b.i.d. for 3 days) oral doses of triclabendazole on corrected QT (QTc) interval prolongation. Moxifloxacin (400 mg, oral) was used as a positive control. The highest mean placebo‐corrected change from baseline in QTcF (ΔΔQTcF) on day 4 with triclabendazole was 9.2 at therapeutic dose ms and 21.7 ms at supratherapeutic dose, at 4 h postdose. The upper limit of the two‐sided 90% confidence interval exceeded 10 ms across all timepoints, except at predose timepoint on day 4 in the therapeutic group indicating that an effect of triclabendazole on cardiac repolarization could not be excluded. However, triclabendazole had no clinically significant effects on heart rate and cardiac conduction at the studied doses. In the moxifloxacin group, the mean ΔΔQTcF peak value was 13.7 ms at 3 h on day 4. The assay sensitivity was confirmed. Maximum plasma concentration of triclabendazole, sulfoxide metabolite, and sulfone metabolite occurred at ~3‐, 4‐, and 6‐h postdose, respectively. No deaths, serious adverse events, study discontinuations due to treatment‐emergent adverse events, or clinically relevant abnormalities in laboratory evaluations and vital sign values were observed. This study showed that triclabendazole had no clinically relevant effects on heart rate and cardiac conduction; however, an effect on cardiac repolarization (ΔΔQTcF >10 ms) could not be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine Fasciolosis poses significant public health problems and is of great concern for all livestock farmers. Studies on bovine Fasciolosis have been carried out in different abattoirs in Nigeria. However, there is no study on bovine fasciolosis at the Akinyele Central Abattoir, Ibadan. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of bovine Fasciolosis and associated risk factors, the most prevalent Fasciola spp., fluke burden and severity of liver lesions, and the correlation between fluke burden and severity of liver lesions at the Akinyele Central Abattoir, Ibadan. A total of 640 slaughtered cattle were sampled over the course of a year. During the postmortem examination, the liver was examined for the presence of flukes, which were identified at the species level. The flukes in each liver were counted, and liver lesions were classified based on severity. The prevalence of bovine Fasciolosis was 20%, with Fasciola gigantica (78.1%) being the most common species. Fasciolosis in the wet season (26.5%) was significantly (P < 0.05) more prevalent than in the dry season (8.6%). The fluke burden of 3 to 20 flukes (65.6%) was the most prevalent. Most of the livers with Fasciolosis were moderately affected (50%). There was a moderate correlation between fluke burden and the severity of the liver lesion. Bovine fasciolosis is prevalent in Akinyele Central Abattoir, Ibadan, with season being the only identified risk factor. It is recommended that regular deworming be initiated for the control and prevention of bovine Fasciolosis before and after the rainy season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: World Health Organization (WHO) considers Fascioliasis as a neglected tropical disease that requires global efforts for disease control. Data from the genetic characterization of Fasciola population shed light on the spread of infections among animals which could help in the development of effective parasite control. The aim of the present work was to genetically characterize Fasciola adult worms isolated from sheep in Saudi Arabia by sequence analysis of ITS-1 region.Methods: A total of 12,653 slaughtered sheep in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia were examined for the presence of Fasciola spp. adult worms. The ITS-1 region of all parasites was amplified and sequenced.Results: Overall, 12 variants DNA sequences were obtained. The variance of isolates ranged from 0.00771 to 0.34405. BLAST search showed that all obtained sequences were Fasciola hepatica and had > 99.3% similarity with F. hepatica isolates from Spain and USA (from different hosts other than sheep). Phylogenetic analysis showed that Fasciola isolates were closely related to isolates from different countries.Discussion: The current study showed that F. hepatica was the only spp. isolated from sheep in Jeddah. Further studies from different localities in Saudi Arabia are needed to help in the development of disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fascioliasis is a worldwide spread parasitic disease with a high impact on the economy and public health in many countries. Therefore, it is important to apply prevention, effective treatment, and education campaigns, to prevent the disease. This work aimed to determine the biochemical markers of liver damage caused by Fasciola hepatica during 21 days (D0 – D21) post albendazole (ABZ) therapy in the blood sera. This study included 24 cows naturally infected with Fasciola hepatica, randomly divided into a control group (n = 12) and a group treated per os with ABZ (7.5 mg per kg body weight) (n = 12). The activity of hepatic enzymes – aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and cholestatic enzymes – gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were measured in both groups. The activity of AST has significantly increased in the course of the experiment (D0 – D21) in both groups (P < 0.001). ALT activity during D0 – D21 was significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.001). Activity of GGT was not significantly changed in the control group in the course of the experiment (P > 0.05). Contrarily, the activity of GGT in the treated group was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) during D0 – D21. The activity of GGT in the blood sera of the treated group was significantly lower in comparison with the control group in D7 and D21 (P < 0.01). This decreased GGT activity in the blood sera of the treated group may be caused by the effect of albendazole resulting in fasciola elimination and bile flow improvement. The results of ALP determination show no significant changes in ALP activity between groups. This can lead to the conclusion that the most useful marker of cholestasis caused by F. hepatica is the GGT activity and may help to evaluate the ABZ therapy effect in cattle.

Objective:In this study, it was aimed to reveal the frequency of fascioliasis in cattle slaughtered in the slaughterhouses of Ağrı province.Methods:The study was carried out on 230 cattle. The presence of Fasciola hepatica eggs in stool and bile fluid samples taken from each cattle was investigated by sedimentation-zinc sulfate flotation method, and the presence of adult parasites in the liver and bile ducts by postmortem examination.Results:The study was conducted on 230 cattle samples. Fasciola spp. eggs were observed in 43 (18.7%) of the stools examined. As a result of the postmortem examination of the liver and gall bladder, F. hepatica adults were found in 52 (22.6%) cattle. All cattle positive in stool examination were also positive in liver and gallbladder examination. Fasciola gigantica adults were not detected in any of the cattle, and there was no statistically significant difference in terms of gender and race.Conclusion:In this study conducted on cattle in the Ağrı region, F. hepatica was found to be significantly common. The data obtained show that in order to prevent economic losses in animal husbandry, which is an important source of livelihood of the local people, effective prevention and control programs should be planned and implemented, and both sheep and cattle breeders should be made aware of the prevention of this infection.

Fascioliasis adalah penyakit cacing hati yang dapat menyerang sapi dan sangat merugikan, karena dapat menurunkan produktivitas. Peternakan sapi perah di Tegalombo, Pacitan merupakan peternakan rakyat yang pengelolaannya banyak melibatkan perempuan. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi fascioliasis pada sapi perah di kecamatan Tegalombo, kabupaten Pacitan. Sebanyak 50 ekor sapi perah digunakan sebagai sampel di dalam penelitian ini. Semua sapi diperiksa secara fisik, diambil fesesnya dan diperiksa adanya telur cacing Fasciola sp. Hasil pemeriksaan fisik sapi secara klinis menunjukkan bahwa semua sapi pada penelitian ini menunjukkan kondisi umum normal, nafsu makan baik, serta tidak ada abnormalitas yang signifikan pada semua bagian tubuh, sehingga dinyatakan sehat secara fisik. Hasil pemeriksaan sampel feses didapatkan adanya telur cacing Fasciola sp. pada 2 dari 50 ekor sapi (4%), sedangkan 48 ekor sapi lainnya (96 %) tidak ditemukan telur cacing. Kesimpulan dari peneltian ini adalah kejadian fascioliasis pada sapi perah di Tegalombo, kabupaten Pacitan rendah. Pemeriksaan secara periodik terhadap kemungkinan fascioliasis perlu dilakukan, sebagai langkah penanggulangan fascioliasis di daerah tersebut.

Objetivo: Determinar la seropositividad y características asociadas a las zoonosis parasitarias por Echinococcus granulosus, Fasciola hepatica, cisticerco de Taenia solium en la sierra peruana entre los años 2016 y 2019. Materiales y Métodos: Se analizaron los reportes de 7811 evaluados en el periodo 2016-2019 en las actividades de vigilancia epidemiológica para zoonosis realizadas por el Instituto Nacional de Salud en 13 regiones de la sierra peruana. Cada reporte comprendía de una ficha epidemiológica con información sociodemográfica, características de las costumbres y actividades, del estilo de vida, y epidemiológicas. El diagnóstico se obtuvo por presencia de anticuerpos IgG anti E. granulosus, F. hepatica y cisticerco de T. solium utilizando antígenos nativos mediante ensayo inmunoabsorbente ligado a enzimas (ELISA) y Western Blotting. Las características asociadas a la presencia de estas zoonosis se realizaron mediante prueba Chi Cuadrado de Pearson. Resultados: Se determinó una seropositividad de 7.9% para fasciolosis, 4.9% para equinococosis, y 2.3% para cisticercosis de T. solium; estas frecuencias fueron mayores en Cerro de Pasco para Equinococosis (24.5%), Ayacucho para cisticersosis (4.5%) y Puno para Fasciolosis (40.6%). Entre las características sociodemográficas se encontró asociación estadísticamente significativa para todas las zoonosis según grupo etario, ocupación, y región de residencia, en cuanto al estilo de vida con el consumo de verduras en emolientes, y entre las características epidemiológicas con la disminución de peso. Conclusiones: La frecuencia encontrada de estas zoonosis y su distribución son indicadores de que estas enfermedades son un problema de salud importante, con características compartidas asociadas.

Background: Fasciolosis is a parasitic disease affecting the hepatobiliary system of livestock worldwide. The control of the fluke is important to be performed in endemic regions. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effect of Etlingera elatior ethanolic extract on egg and adult stadia of Fasciola gigantica. Methods: Fasciola gigantica in different stages were incubated with E. elatior ethanolic extract in different concentrations and time points. Results: The number of developed eggs with different concentrations of 1.25%, 2.5%, and 5% was significantly decreased by 36.67%, 56.67%, and 56.67% on day 11 post-incubation, which showed an ovicidal effect of the herb. The developed eggs on day 14, which were represented by hatched larvae, were also decreased by 70%, 50%, and 13.33%, respectively. Significant flukicidal effects were observed in the incubation time of 80 minutes for the concentration of 20% (p = 0.007) and 640 minutes for 10% concentration (p = 0.003). Surface microscopy of adult F. gigantica showed damaged skin and spina with the erosion of the inner membrane and detached syncytium from the tegument. Conclusion: Overall, the results indicate that E. elatior has a promising anthelmintic property against F. gigantica in both ova and adult stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical message: Fascioliasis poses diagnostic challenges to clinicians for its broad spectrum of hepatobiliary symptoms and lower detection rates. Timely and precise identification avoids long‐standing hepatic complications. Fasciola hepatica, a trematode parasite, inhabits snails and sheep. Human hepatic fascioliasis is a neglected tropical disease with no specific tests. In this instance, the significance of clinical awareness, appropriate imaging, and serological investigations is demonstrated. A young Nepalese girl was diagnosed and managed successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Fasciolosis is a zoonotic disease, which is transmitted by Lymnaea acuminata snails of the Lymnaidae family and causes the disease in human and herbivorous mammals in all over the world. One of the suitable approaches for the control of fasciolosis is the snail control. The snail control by snail attractant pellets is a new technique because there is no any side effect on other biota/human/natural environment. Material and Methods: The influence of various abiotic factors and umbelliferone toxicity in bait against the vector snail Lymnaea acuminata was checked in different months of the years 2018-2019. Result: After 24h of molluscicide exposure, it was found that LC50 values 4.37, 4.22 and 5.66 % in SAP containing starch + umbelliferone and 4.02, 4.33, and 4.76 % in SAP containing proline + umbelliferone during May, June and July, respectively, were most effective treatments in killing the snails. While SAP containing starch + umbelliferone was 9.84% and proline + umbelliferone was 8.94% were minimum effective in January in 24h toxicity. Conclusion: This study indicates that various abiotic factors significantly changed the toxicity of umbelliferone; so, the snails can be controlled by snail attractant pellets containing umbelliferone will be applied in a particular month rather than the whole month of the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria is the property of Agrosavia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Fasciolosis (Fasciola hepatica) and paramphistomosis (Calicophoron daubneyi) are two important infections of livestock. Calicophoron daubneyi is the predominant Paramphistomidae species in Europe, and its prevalence has increased in the last 10–15 years. In Italy, evidence suggests that the prevalence of F. hepatica in ruminants is low in the southern part, but C. daubneyi has been recently reported at high prevalence in the same area. Given the importance of reliable tools for liver and rumen fluke diagnosis in ruminants, this study evaluated the diagnostic performance of the Mini-FLOTAC (MF), Flukefinder® (FF) and sedimentation (SED) techniques to detect and quantify F. hepatica and C. daubneyi eggs using spiked and naturally infected cattle faecal samples. Methods: Briefly, negative bovine faecal samples were artificially spiked with either F. hepatica or C. daubneyi eggs to achieve different egg count levels: 10, 50 and 100 eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces. Moreover, ten naturally infected cattle farms from southern Italy with either F. hepatica and/or C. daubneyi were selected. For each farm, the samples were analysed individually only with MF technique and as pools using MF, FF and SED techniques. Bayesian latent class analysis (LCA) was used to estimate sensitivity and accuracy of the predicted intensity of infection as well as the infection rate in the naturally infected farms. Results: The outcome of this study showed that the highest number of eggs (F. hepatica and C. daubneyi) recovered was obtained with MF, followed by FF and SED in spiked infected samples at 50 and 100 EPG, while at lower infection levels of 10 EPG, FF gave the best results. Moreover, the sensitivity for all the techniques included in the study was estimated at > 90% at infection levels > 20 EPG for both F. hepatica and C. daubneyi eggs. However, MF was the most accurate of the three techniques evaluated to estimate fluke infection intensity. Nevertheless, all three techniques can potentially estimate infection rate at farm level accurately. Conclusions: Optimization and standardization of techniques are needed to improve the FEC of fluke eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fascioliasis, oligoxenous snail vector specificity, low mammal host specificity, epidemiological situations, transmission patterns, and influencing biotic/abiotic factors underlie high complexity. In human fascioliasis, a One Health approach is the best strategy to complement preventive chemotherapy by decreasing infection/reinfection risk. A One Health multidisciplinarity approach for human fascioliasis includes axes targeting the environment (habitat and climate), snail vectors, mammal reservoirs, the human host, and ethnography of the inhabitants of the endemic area. Sufficient baseline knowledge about epidemiology and transmission of fascioliasis obtained in previous field surveys and experimental studies is needed. A One Health action should be adapted to the epidemiological and transmission characteristics of the endemic area, and use a pilot area when dealing with large endemic areas. Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are liver flukes causing fascioliasis, a worldwide zoonotic, complex disease. Human infection/reinfection occurs in endemic areas where preventive chemotherapy is applied, because of fasciolid transmission ensured by livestock and lymnaeid snail vectors. A One Health control action is the best complement to decrease infection risk. The multidisciplinary framework needs to focus on freshwater transmission foci and their environment, lymnaeids, mammal reservoirs, and inhabitant infection, ethnography and housing. Local epidemiological and transmission knowledge furnished by previous field and experimental research offers the baseline for control design. A One Health intervention should be adapted to the endemic area characteristics. Long-term control sustainability may be achieved by prioritizing measures according to impact depending on available funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human fasciolosis is an important parasitic disease with some degree of incidence as an important zoonotic disease in Peru and other Latin American countries. Based on this problem, the purpose of the present investigation is to determine the effectiveness of educational sessions as a preventive measure on fasciolosis/cysticercosis/hydatidosis in families from the town of Yamos, district of Huacrachuco, Peru, during the year 2021. Results were collected of the 122 interviewee's knowledge on these diseases, both before and after they passed the educational sessions. The results were processed with the support of the t-Student test for paired samples for determining if there was a significant improvement in the level of knowledge. Additionally, we compared the level of knowledge with other factors, like genre and educational level. The main results obtained were the level of knowledge of the families after the educational sessions as a preventive measure, where 65 (53.28%) had a medium level and 57 (46.72%) had a high level of knowledge. No family with a low level of knowledge was found. From which it is possible to conclude the effectiveness of educational sessions as a preventive measure in the level of knowledge about fasciolosis/cysticercosis/hydatidosis in families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, were evaluated the primary causes of bovine liver condemnation during post-mortem inspection. The data used in this study were collected from an abattoir located in the state of Espírito Santo, witch operates under the Federal Inspection Service (SIF). To conduct this survey, were analyzed official records from the Federal Inspection Service (SIF) regarding the monthly slaughter of cattle and their respective hepatic condemnations throughout the year 2022 were used. During this period, 45,482 cattle were slaughtered, comprising 43,578 males (95.81%) and 1,904 females (4.19%). Among them, 4,365 livers were condemned, accounting for a frequency of 9.6% of the total number of slaughtered animals. Three conditions were the most recurrent: hepatic abscesses, totaling 1,357 condemnations (31.1%), followed by perihepatitis and fasciolosis, responsible for 546 (12.5%) and 518 (11.9%) condemnations, respectively. These tree most frequent lesions mentioned accounted for 55.5% of bovine liver condemnations. Other causes of condemnation were also detected, such as gastrointestinal and biliary contamination, with a total of 924 cases (21.2%), as well as 514 cases of telangiectasia (11.8%), 505 cases of cirrhosis (11.6%), and 1 case of lymphatic alteration (0.001%). The economic loss due to liver condemnations was substantial for the industry, totaling an average of R$ 41,467.50 during the year 2022. Therefore, it is essential to reduce hepatic conditions, identifying its main causes and possible solutions to minimize economic losses for the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fascioliasis is an important zoonotic disease prevalent in domestic animals and it leads to socioeconomic impact in rural farming communities of the developing world. The gold standard diagnosis of ruminant fascioliasis involves coprological detection of Fasciola spp. eggs or recovery of flukes in infected livers. Coprological analysis is unreliable in the patent period of chronic infection, and even then, its sensitivity is relatively low. Robust diagnostic tools that can promptly and accurately detect an active infection are crucial to avoid complications and further losses in ruminant livestock productivity, as well as to preserve the livelihood of communities at risk. Immunodiagnosis determined by antibody and antigen detection in the sera and faeces of infected ruminants provides a valuable alternative to the parasitological diagnostic approach. This review discusses current developments in immunological techniques by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the detection of ruminant fascioliasis and summarises the performance of various ELISAs in studies conducted to date. Indirect ELISAs demonstrated effective immunodiagnostic performance with high sensitivities and specificities. Cathepsin L ELISA is the most favourable antigen in serodiagnosis, among other recombinant and native proteins evaluated. Sandwich ELISA provides excellent sensitivity and specificity, which correlates well with the fluke burden. Utilising monoclonal antibodies in sandwich ELISA reduces the detection time and performance variations that commonly occur in polyclonal antibody ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection with Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) causes fasciolosis (or fascioliasis) and poses a considerable economic as well as welfare burden to both the agricultural and animal health sectors. Here, we explore the ex vivo anthelmintic potential of synthetic derivatives of hederagenin, isolated in bulk from Hedera helix. Thirty-six compounds were initially screened against F. hepatica newly excysted juveniles (NEJs) of the Italian strain. Eleven of these compounds were active against NEJs and were selected for further study, using adult F. hepatica derived from a local abattoir (provenance unknown). From these eleven compounds, six demonstrated activity and were further assessed against immature liver flukes of the Italian strain. Subsequently, the most active compounds (n = 5) were further evaluated in ex vivo dose response experiments against adult Italian strain liver flukes. Overall, MC042 was identified as the most active molecule and the EC50 obtained from immature and adult liver fluke assays (at 24 h post co-culture) are estimated as 1.07 μM and 13.02 μM, respectively. When compared to the in vitro cytotoxicity of MDBK bovine cell line, MC042 demonstrated the highest anthelmintic selectivity (44.37 for immature and 3.64 for adult flukes). These data indicate that modified hederagenins display properties suitable for further investigations as candidate flukicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fascioliasis, caused by the liver flukes Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, is a global zoonotic helminthic disease. The livestock and human are the final hosts of the parasites. Northern Iran is an important endemic region for fascioliasis. Few studies have been conducted on the characterization of Fasciola isolates from eastern regions of the Caspian littoral of the country. Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify F. hepatica, F. gigantica and intermediate/hybrid forms of Fasciola isolates from livestock in Golestan province, northern Iran, using morphometric and molecular tools. Methods: Livestock livers naturally infected with Fasciola spp. were collected from Golestan slaughterhouse during 2019–2020. The worms were morphometrically studied using a calibrated stereomicroscope. Genomic DNA was extracted from all samples, and polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) was performed on internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) region using Rsa1 restriction enzyme. All the isolates were then analysed by multiplex PCR on Pepck region. Results: A total of 110 Fasciola isolates were collected from the infected livers, including 94 sheep, 12 cattle and 4 goats. Morphometric analysis of 61 adult Fasciola isolates indicated that, 44 and 17 isolates belonged to F. hepatica and F. gigantica, respectively. Eighty‐one and 29 isolates belonged to F. hepatica and F. gigantica using ITS1‐RFLP, respectively. However, Pepck Multiplex PCR indicated 72 F. hepatica, 26 F. gigantica and 12 intermediate/hybrid forms. All 12 hybrid isolates were found in sheep host. Two isolates were identified as F. gigantica using morphometry and F. hepatica using both molecular methods. Conclusion: The present study confirmed the existence of both F. hepatica and F. gigantica species and reported the first molecular evidence of hybrid Fasciola isolates in ruminants of Golestan province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fascioliasis (liver fluke infestation) is one of the most important parasitic diseases affecting cattle, other ruminant animals and humans. Fascioliasis causes large, but usually neglected, economic losses to cattle farmers and traders. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and associated risks for fascioliasis in slaughter cattle and estimate the financial losses due to liver condemnation at the Lira Municipal abattoir in Uganda. A total of 216 cattle were sampled during the study period. Animal breed and sex were determined by observing the phenotypic characteristics of the animals. Age was determined by assessing the eruption and wearing of permanent teeth. After slaughter, the liver was examined for presence of Fasciola spp. (liver flukes) by visual inspection, palpation, and incisions. The bile ducts and gall bladder were similarly examined for presence of mature Fasciola spp. The gross weight and amount of liver trimmed-off due to fluke infestation were determined. Of the 216 liver examined, 65.7% (n = 142) were infested with Fasciola spp. Cattle that were aged 4-5 years old at the time of slaughter had significantly greater odds (OR = 5.84; CI [2.79-12.22]) of being infested with Fasciola spp. compared to those that were younger than 3.5 years old. In contrast, cattle that had a body condition score of 3.5 or 4 had lower odds (OR= 0.42; CI [0.21-0.88] and OR = 0.22; CI [0.04-1.10]) of fascioliasis than those with a BCS of 3. Other tested variables including animal origin, breed, sex, and gross weight of the liver had no significant effect on the prevalence of fascioliasis. This study also revealed that the abattoir loses an estimated 38 million UGX annually due to condemnation of Fasciola-infested liver (one UGX= 0.00027 USD; July 2016). Our study showed that the prevalence of fascioliasis was high in Lira District, Uganda, which results in a large amount of liver being condemned and destroyed, leading to financial losses for affected farmers in the area. Therefore, there is a need to take the necessary preventive measures to control the disease and increase awareness among farmers and medical personnel in the area due to the zoonotic nature of fascioliasis.

The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of three anthelmintics against naturally occurring fascioliasis in goats as well as how they affected various hematological values over the course of 28 days. For this investigation, out of 417 goats, 60 were selected who were suffering from liver fluke infection. After being randomly divided into four groups of 15 animals each, the first three groups got treatment with triclabendazole, oxyclozanide, and nitroxynil while the fourth group was kept as a control group and received no medication. The results of the study showed that the egg per gram (EPG) count of the treatment groups significantly decreased successively (P

Fascioliasis is not only an endemic infectious disease recorded in the most tropical and subtropical areas, but it also has been recognized as a significant disease attributed to appreciable animal mortalities, growth retardation, drops in livestock production, and condemnation of the infected livers attributed to hepatic damage. The cross-sectional study was conducted on slaughtered cows in between 2018 to 2022 in abattoirs belonging to Qena province, Egypt. Each selected carcass was macroscopically inspected for adult liver flukes by dissecting the livers and lymph nodes. For histopathological study, specimens from the livers and lymph nodes were taken and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. Postmortem observation represented whitish pale and firm livers which indicated necrosis; notably bile ducts engorged with liver fluke and a thickened opaque wall. Concerning lymph nodes, darkish red collections obviously distributed because of suffered intense congestion and hemorrhages. For histopathological changes, infected cattle denoted hepatic cytoplasmic vacuolation of hepatocytes and necrobiotic changes of the liver. Thickening and hyperplasia of the bile duct wall was elucidated. Besides that, there was hemorrhagic inflammation of the lymph nodes and remarkable lymphoid depletion of the white pulp. We explored some evidence of a close relation between fasciola infection and damage in else critical organs other than liver fundamentally lymph nodes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the patients infected with Fasciola hepatica and establish whether these parameters differ among the patients with fascioliasis. Methods: The patient group consisted of 140 individuals with F. hepatica seropositive; the control group consisted of 140 healthy individuals who tested negative for this parasite and had no other diseases. The patient group consisted of individuals with no chronic diseases other than fascioliasis; in both the patient and the control groups, the subjects had no unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, etc. The blood samples taken to diagnose fascioliasis were evaluated by the ELISA method. The samples were studied according to the kit procedures for SOD, CAT, GPx and MDA markers. Results: In this study, 43.6% of 140 individuals in the patient group infected with F. hepatica had CAT (p=0.001), 35% had GPx (p=0.001), 12.9% had SOD (p=0.002), 90.7% had MDA (p=0.001). There was found a statistically significant difference between the patient and the control group in terms of the positivity of these four parameters. Conclusion: As a result, a statistically significant relationship was found between the increase in the SOD, GPx, CAT, and MDA levels and fascioliasis. The high rate of MDA revealed that oxidative stress occurred in patients with fascioliasis, resulting in an increased activity of SOD, GPx, and CAT.

Abstract Background Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by helminths play an important role in parasite-host communication. However, little is known about the characteristics and contents of the EVs of Fasciola gigantica, a parasitic flatworm that causes tropical fascioliasis. A better understanding of EVs released by F. gigantica will help elucidate the mechanism of F. gigantica-host interaction and facilitate the search for new vaccine candidates for the control and treatment of fascioliasis. Methods Two different populations of EVs (15k EVs and 100k EVs) were purified from adult F. gigantica culture media by ultracentrifugation. The morphology and size of the purified EVs were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by the Zetasizer Nano ZSP high performance particle characterization system. With the aim of identifying diagnostic markers or potential vaccine candidates, proteins within the isolated 100k EVs were analyzed using mass spectrometry-based proteomics (LC–MS/MS). Mice were then vaccinated with excretory/secretory products (ESPs; depleted of EVs), 15k EVs, 100k EVs and recombinant F. gigantica heat shock protein 70 (rFg-HSP70) combined with alum adjuvant followed by challenge infection with F. gigantica metacercariae. Fluke recovery and antibody levels were used as measures of vaccine protection. Results TEM analysis and nanoparticle tracking analysis indicated the successful isolation of two subpopulations of EVs (15k EVs and 100k EVs) from adult F. gigantica culture supernatants using differential centrifugation. A total of 755 proteins were identified in the 100k EVs. Exosome biogenesis or vesicle trafficking proteins, ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) pathway proteins and exosome markers, heat shock proteins and 14-3-3 proteins were identified in the 100k EVs. These results indicate that the isolated 100k EVs were exosome-like vesicles. The functions of the identified proteins may be associated with immune regulation, immune evasion and virulence. Mice immunized with F. gigantica ESPs, 15k EVs, 100k EVs and rFg-HSP70 exhibited a reduction in fluke burden of 67.90%, 60.38%, 37.73% and 56.6%, respectively, compared with the adjuvant control group. The vaccination of mice with F. gigantica 100k EVs, 15k EVs, ESP and rFg-HSP70 induced significant production of specific immunoglobulins in sera, namely IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that proteins within the exosome-like vesicles of F. gigantica have immunomodulatory, immune evasion and virulence functions. This knowledge may lead to new strategies for immunotherapy, vaccination and the diagnosis of fascioliasis. Graphical Abstract

(1) Background: Human fascioliasis is considered an endemic and hyper-endemic disease in the Peruvian Andean valleys. Our objective was to determine variations in the composition of the gut microbiota among children with Fasciola hepatica and children who do not have this parasitosis. (2) Method: A secondary analysis was performed using fecal samples stored in our biobank. The samples were collected as part of an epidemiological Fasciola hepatica cross-sectional study in children from 4 through 14 years old from a community in Cajamarca, Peru. (3) Results: In a comparison of the bacterial genera that make up the intestinal microbiota between the F. hepatica positive and negative groups, it was found that there are significant differences in the determination of Lactobacillus (p = 0.010, CI: 8.5–61.4), Bacteroides (p = 0.020, CI: 18.5–61.4), Clostridium (p < 0.001, CI: 3.5–36.0), and Bifidobacterium (p = 0.018, CI: 1.1–28.3), with each of these genera being less frequent in children parasitized with F. hepatica. (4) Conclusions: These results show that F. hepatica may be associated with direct or indirect changes in the bacterial population of the intestinal microbiota, particularly affecting three bacterial genera.

The article describes the case of a 58-year-old woman who experienced fatigue, abdominal bloating, and eosinophilia and had been in her usual state of health until eight months before the current evaluation. Topics discussed include medical history of the patient, differential diagnosis, and nonifectious and infectious causes of eosinophilia.

Background and Aim: Bovine fasciolosis is a reemerging neglected disease with a worldwide distribution caused by the trematode Fasciola spp., which parasitize various hosts. Bovine fasciolosis is responsible for large economic losses in the bovine livestock sector. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence and risk factors of bovine fasciolosis in the municipalities of Colombia. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with simple random sampling conducted on 1140 cattle from the municipalities of Chiquinquirá, San Miguel de Sema, and Ubaté for a duration of 3 months. Serum samples were processed using the commercial Fasciola hepatica Antibody Test Kit IDEXX® Fasciolosis Verification (IDEXX, United States), which identified immunoglobulin G antibodies for gf2 antigen purified from Fasciola extracts. The f2 antigen is extremely immunogenic and highly specific for F. hepatica. An epidemiological survey was performed to record variables related to the sampled animals and herd management practices. Data were processed using the statistical program Epi Info® (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Atlanta, Georgia). The prevalence ratio was estimated to evaluate the association between fasciolosis and the hypothesized causal factors and the significance of this association using Pearson's Chi-square test. Finally, a logistic regression model was developed. Results: The overall seroprevalence was 72.3%. The seroprevalence was 83.9% (323/385) in Chiquinquirá, 68.17% (257/377) in Ubaté, and 64.55% (244/378) in San Miguel de Sema. The seroprevalence was higher in male animals in Chiquinquirá and in female animals in San Miguel de Sema and Ubaté. Similarly, sex showed a statistically significant association with disease prevalence in Ubaté. The highest prevalence was found in cattle aged >2 years. The Holstein breed showed maximum seroprevalence in Chiquinquirá (p = 0.05) and San Miguel de Sema, whereas crossbreed showed higher seroprevalence in Ubaté. Similarly, in Chiquinquirá, the association between the seroprevalence of fasciolosis and the presence of other species was statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9601-3.4944; p = 0.0448). In Ubaté, the disease presentation was also associated with pasture rental (95% CI: 0.4047-1.0023; p = 0.003) and attendance to livestock expositions (95% CI: 0.2313-1.0636; p = 0.044). However, in San Miguel de Sema, water from the stream showed a statistically significant association with disease presentation (95% CI: 0.5209-1.0985; p = 0.00649785). Female sex and diarrhea occurrence were considered risk factors for fasciolosis. Conclusion: A high seroprevalence of antibodies to Fasciola spp. was detected in cattle in the study municipalities, indicating a high parasite distribution in these areas. Female sex and diarrhea were established as risk factors associated with fasciolosis in Ubaté and San Miguel de Sema, respectively. Further, research is necessary to establish prevention and control programs against parasitosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fascioliasis is a liver fluke disease in which food and water are the transmitting agents. The disease is caused by a genus of Fasciola, parasitic Trematoda. The genus Fasciola includes two species of Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica. The study of this disease is of particular importance as the infected cases are globally growing, especially in endemic areas. In this paper, a fractional‐order mathematical model is presented for fascioliasis disease. The optimization method is an effective choice in solving mathematical models of epidemic diseases. The study aims at presenting a new set of generalized Fibonacci polynomials as basic functions and some innovative operational matrices of derivatives in the Caputo sense to solve the fascioliasis disease model. The numerical experiments reveal better results and simulations show effectiveness of the presented method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fascioliasis, caused by Fasciola hepatica, is a neglected zoonotic food-borne trematodiasis. The Caspian littoral in northern Iran is endemic for the disease, and human fascioliasis is well-known in that region. In the present study, we report the diagnosis, identification, and clinical management of a human case of fascioliasis associated with common bile duct (CBD) obstruction from a non-endemic remote area in southeastern Iran. Case presentation: A 42-year-old female was admitted to Afzalipour Medical Center hepatobiliary surgery ward in Kerman with abdominal pain for the past three months. Dilated biliary tract and an ill-defined mass in CBD were reported in abdominal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, respectively. During distal CBD operation, nine leaf-like motile flatworms were isolated. A morphological study confirmed all the isolates as Fasciola, and further molecular investigations, identified the flukes as F. hepatica using both pepck multiplex PCR and cox1 sequencing. Conclusion: Molecular and morphological findings of the study indicated the presence of human fascioliasis in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran. Fascioliasis is among the etiologies of chronic cholecystitis, and physicians should consider chronic cholecystitis associated with fascioliasis in the differential diagnosis. In the present report, endoscopic ultrasound was usefully applied for the accurate diagnosis of biliary fasciolosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Fasciolia hepatica and Fasciola gigantica are widespread and found in the liver and bile ducts of ruminant animals and humans, which poses a major problem in animal husbandry. There are many studies on the prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis in China, but the overall prevalence of fasciolosis and the risk factors are still unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of ovine and caprine fasciolosis in China. The pooled prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis was 26.00%. Out of all the subgroups, the type of season and sampling years showed the most significant (p < 0.05) differences. The results indicated that ovine and caprine fasciolosis was widely distributed, especially in Northwestern China. The risk factors related to the disease are described in this study. Therefore, strategies for ovine and caprine fasciolosis control can be developed based on the epidemic risk factors that are identified in this study, which will thus reduce the prevalence of fasciolosis in China. Fasciolosis is a significant zoonotic and common parasitic disease for animals and humans, creating public health concerns worldwide. This study retrieved articles related to the occurrence of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica in sheep and goats in China by searching five databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, and the VIP Chinese Journal Database. A total of 60 valid articles were captured. The pooled prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis was 26.00%. It was also found to be higher in the subgroups of Northwest China and Shaanxi Province, as well as in areas with a high altitude, rainfall of ≥800 mm, and temperature ranging between 10 °C and 20 °C. Analysis of the type of season and sampling years showed significant (p < 0.05) difference. In other subgroups, sheep (34.74%), hosts aged over 2 years (32.26%), females (48.33%) and free-range animals (26.83%) showed a higher disease prevalence. These results indicated that ovine and caprine fasciolosis was widely distributed, especially in Northwest China. The sampling years and the type of season are risk factors for the prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis. Therefore, strategies for ovine and caprine fasciolosis control should be developed based on these epidemic risk factors, which will reduce the prevalence of fasciolosis in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human hepatic fasciolosis has been reported in 81 countries, some of which are endemic areas. In Europe, case reports from humans were published in Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. Regarding Romania, we do not have any data on the prevalence of this parasitosis, with the exception of two cases of twins that were born in Romania and diagnosed in the last 37 years in Italy after joining their mother that lived there. We report the case of a patient diagnosed in Romania with chronic fasciolosis, presented as a hepatic pseudotumor that was diagnosed during the histopathological examination of the hepatic lesion. The patient received oral treatment with triclabendazole, two doses of 10 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight, given 12 h apart, with no side effects during or after the treatment. The evolution of the patient was favorable. In conclusion, even in areas free of human fasciolosis, the presence of an anemic syndrome especially in children, abdominal pain in the upper quadrants, associated or not with other digestive manifestations, even more so associated with eosinophilia in the acute phase, should be carefully evaluated for ruling out a parasitosis such as fasciolosis even in countries where this diagnosis seems unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the frequency of fascioliasis in animals slaughtered in slaughterhouses in the province of Andahuaylas and the financial loss due to the seizure of livers. The research was quantitative at a basic level, analytical design, observational type, and cross-sectional. It was carried out between October and December 2016 in the slaughterhouses of the districts of Andahuaylas, San Jerónimo, and Talavera. At the same time, a retrospective study corresponding to the years 2011-2016 was conducted. Fascioliasis was diagnosed through post-mortem sanitary inspection of the viscera. The statistical examination was carried out with the software Epidat 4.2, using Pearson's Chisquare test to verify differences between proportions; and the t-test to estimate equality of means, assuming a confidence level of 95% and confidence intervals of < = 0,05. Most of the infected animals came from Pampachiri (p < 0,01); the most affected species was bovine (51,9%; 95% CI = 49,9 - 53,9). In the 2011-2016 period, the frequency of fascioliasis was 46% (95% CI = 45,8 - 46,2) with a total financial loss for the seizure of livers of USD 238.551.1. The spring season registered the lowest frequency of fascioliasis and the lowest financial loss (p < 0,01). The most significant losses occurred in 2014, in March and August, in the Talavera slaughterhouse (p < 0,01). The study concludes that Andahuaylas is mesoendemic for fascioliasis but hyperendemic in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence and some associated risk factors of Fasciola hepatica in sheep in the Algerian agro-pastoral region, Djelfa. For this, a total of 217 blood samples were taken from sheep (100 females and 117 males) aged on average ten months in two slaughterhouses in an Algerian agro-pastoral region, Djelfa during the period from January to October 2021 and analyzed by the ELISA method (BIOK 211-Monoscreen AbELISA Fasciola hepatica test) at the regional veterinary laboratory of Laghouat. The collected sera were numbered and stored at -20°C until analysis. Technical sheets were filled out with each sampled animal, including information on age, sex, locality and season. The results showed that the rate of positive seroprevalence of Fasciola hepatica was 0.46% in sheep. This positivity rate was found in April in a 2-year-old female. At the same time, two doubtful cases (0.92%) were identified, one in a five-year-old female during the month of August and the other in a six-month-old male during the month of September. These results indicate the possibility of fasciolosis infestation in sheep farms in the Djelfa region and the zoonotic risk that this represents, as well as the economic losses that result from it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasciolosis is one of helminthes disease of ruminants caused by genus Fasciola and contains commonly occurring fasciola species: fasciola gigantica and fasciola hepatica. This disease is tropically neglected disease which can causes huge economic losses in livestock production. The study aimed to determine the prevalence, financial losses, associated risk factors and coprology of bovine fasciolosis in selected distric's municipal abattoir of Wolaita zone. Cross sectional study carried out from January 2022 to May 2022. Thus, a total of 400 cattle were randomly selected and detailed examination of liver and faeces for liver flukes and fasciola egg and (p<0.05) was checked for existence of association between risk factor, financial losses was calculated, and specificity and sensitivity calculated to see diagnostic efficacy. The prevalence of abattoir was found to be 8.5% on coprology and 14.5% postmortem. The commonly identified liver fluke species affecting the cattle in study area was F. hepatica 48.28% (28/58), F. gigantica 27.58% (16/58), mixed infection 24.14.0% (14/58). The current financial losses of study area totally recorded 5,614,657.68 ETB/80,209.40USD. The sensitivity and specificity of coprology was found to be 58.6% and the 100% with substantial agreements (kappa=0.71) between the two methods. When observing risk factors for occurrence of diseases: agro-ecology, sex and body conditions were risk factors (p<0.05) but age (p>0.05) has no association with disease occurrence. In conclusion, the prevalence of fasciolosis in study area was very low when compare with other researcher's reports but caused huge financial losses to meat sellers. In diagnostic method postmortem is more sensitive than coprology. So, Strategic treatment of cattle with appropriate flukicidal drugs, a combination of control measures including drainage, fencing, mulluscicides and awareness creation should be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasciolosis is a parasitic plant-born trematodes worm infection caused by the common liver fluke Fasciola hepatica as well as by Fasciola gigantica. The aim of this study was to analyze the bovine fasciolosis and afford various figures about epidemiology, management and control of the disease. A cross-sectional study was accompanied to regulate the prevalence of bovine fasciolosis and ascertain its related risk issues by both coprological and postmortem examination of liver at Sebeta municipal abattoir from November, 2017 to March, 2018. The method includes learning area, study population, study design, sample size and sampling, sampling measures, data managing and investigation. Fasciolosis is a disease causing mortality and production losses mainly in ruminants. Coprological and post-mortem analyses were performed on total of 384 cattle slaughtered in Sebeta municipal abattior. Sex, age, breed, body condition score and origin of animals were taken into attention as risk factors. Fecal examination, followed by liver incision, surveillance and species ID on the basis of size and morphology of adult worm were functional. An outside total prevalence of 18.5% (71) and 22.4% (86) were found on the basis of coprological and post-mortem examinations, respectively. The percentage agreement between the two diagnostic methods was 82.56%. However, post-mortem examination of infected livers was better for diagnosis of fasciolosis in slaughtered animals as early infection can also be diagnosed. Among the possible risk factors associated with fasciolosis, only sex and origin of the animals did not show significant variation (p > 0.05). However, age, body condition and breed of the cattle was important (W2 =5.666a p=.017, X2=98.603a p=.000 X2=8.891a p=.003) respectively, which show significant variation between them. From the finding, the dominant species in the revision area was F. hepatica (44.2%), while F. gigantica and mixed infection were recorded in 36.0% and 18.8%, respectively. The study specifies that the infection occurrence of fasciolosis was based on body condition of animals, age and breed of animals, but origin and sex of animals have little importance on prevalence of fasciolosis. Appropriate ante mortem, postmortem assessment and snail control methods are recommended for control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic fascioliasis is an important parasitic disease responsible for morbidity and mortality in many domestic ruminants, especially sheep, goats, and cattle, due to Fasciola (F.) hepatica and F. gigantica. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fascioliasis in sheep slaughtered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and to describe the morphological and histopathological changes in the liver. A total of 109,253 sheep slaughtered between July 2017 and July 2018 were screened to assess the prevalence of fascioliasis. The livers were grossly investigated for Fasciola infection and morphological changes. Tissue samples were collected for proper histopathological examinations. Livers of local and imported sheep represented infection rates of 0.67% and 2.12%, respectively, and the highest infection rate was in the spring season. Macroscopically, the affected liver showed hepatomegaly, thickened capsule and discoloration with necrosis, fibrosis, dilation of the bile duct, engorgement of the gallbladder and enlargement of the portal lymph nodes. Microscopic examination showed fibrotic thickening, calcification and hyperplasia of the bile ducts filled with debris, as well as massive hemorrhagic foci. Histopathological examinations of the infected liver showed a central vein region with disturbed parenchyma cells, focal lymphocytic infiltration, elongated endothelial cells, blood sinusoids that showed enlarged Kupffer cells, patches of lysed or necrotic hepatocytes, eosinophil infiltration, lymphocytes and proliferating fibroblast, thickening of hepatic artery and arteriolar walls. We concluded that fascioliasis among sheep slaughtered in Jeddah is not uncommon. The identified histopathological changes in the liver of infected sheep reflect tissue damage, which can lead to significant economic losses for the animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the in vivo molluscicidal activity and Artemia salina lethality of Azorean Cryptomeria japonica leaf (CJL) essential oils (EOs) obtained by hydrodistillation (HD) and water-steam distillation (WSD) techniques, especially in light of the recent focus on the use of forestry and wood industry residues in a sustainable world economy. Molluscicidal activity was performed during several life stages of Radix peregra by the immersion method, under laboratory conditions. A first screening through a single-dose bioassay revealed that both EOs were highly active towards eggs, juveniles and adult snails (ca. 100% mortality). Concentration- and time-toxicity assays were carried out only on adult snails to determine the lethal parameters (LC50;90 and LT50;90). The LC50 values were 33 and 62 µg/mL for EO–WSD and EO–HD, respectively, after 48 h. The LT50 of EO–WSD required only 21 h for both 16 h and continous exposure periods, while that of EO–HD was slighty superior (21.8–25.6 h). Although not significant, EO–WSD was also slightly more toxic against A. salina than EO–HD (LC50 = 98 and 115 µg/mL after 24 h, respectively). In conclusion, Azorean CJL EOs, which are rich in α-pinene (mostly EO–WSD), have huge potential to be used as safe raw materials for the development of natural molluscicide products to control snails responsible for transmitting fascioliasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasciolosis is caused by F. hepatica and F. gigantica. It is of economic and zoonotic importance. Several strategies for control of fasciolosis are being used; these include vaccination of animals that are at risk and control of the snails that carry the parasite. Several types of vaccines, such as recombinant cathepsin, mixed recombinant vaccine, fatty-acid-binding proteins, a cocktail of recombinant and fatty-acid-binding vaccines, nucleic acid-based vaccines and gene-silencing methods have been reported to show efficacy ranges of 32-75%, 52-79%, 8-36%, 43-68%, 74-100% and 90% respectively. These are currently undergoing experimental testing against fasciolosis. The study described in this paper was carried out to discover the comparative efficacy of these vaccines in the enhancement of the immune response in order to find the most effective method so that future research could focus on the development of that type of vaccine. Besides immunization, control of the intermediate host of the parasite (snail) is also an effective way to control fasciolosis. Snails are controlled through the use of physical, chemical and biological methods. The most effective of these is biological control using Sphaerodema urinator as a predator of snails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fasciolosis represents a significant economic impact on livestock production in different countries. The gold standard method for diagnosing fasciolosis is currently a coprological examination, based on egg detection in stool. However, this approach is undoubtedly ineffective, especially during the acute phase of the disease. In order to detect all stages of infection, an alternative serological method is used to confirm the infected animals with fasciolosis. Thus, we aimed to identify the pre-patent and patent periods of equine fasciolosis using both copro-microscopical and the ELISA technique in different areas in Garmian region and Sulaimani provinces. Material and Methods: A coprological and the sensitive ELISA techniques were used to detect the presence of Fasciola hepatica in the infected horses through detection of the serum antibodies against secretary and the excretory antigens from F. hepatica. Results: The copro-prevalence and seroprevalence of equine fasciolosis were found to be 16% and 58%, respectively, in a total of 50 fecal and 50 blood samples from equine of various ages. Conclusion: It was concluded that a serological test had an accurate result for the detection of Fasciola infection in horses than the coprological methods; particularly in horses had advanced into the patent period of the infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To determine seropositivity to anti-IgG antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus, Fasciola hepatica and Taenia solium cysticercus infection and to describe the characteristics of the infected patients in 13 regions of the Peruvian highlands between 2016 and 2019. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional, observational study, in which we analyzed 7811 epidemiological records of laboratory-based surveillance of parasitic zoonoses from 2016 to 2019. Diagnosis was established by detecting IgG type anti-E. granulosus, F. hepatica and T. solium cysticercus antibodies using native antigens by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Immunoblot. We evaluated the difference in the frequency of the cases according to identified characteristics using Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Results. Seropositivity was 7.9% for fascioliasis, 4.9% for cystic echinococcosis, and 2.3% for T. solium cysticercus. These rates were higher in Cerro de Pasco for cystic echinococcosis (24.5%), in Ayacucho for T. solium cysticercus (4.5%) and in Puno for fascioliasis (40.6%). Regarding the sociodemographic characteristics, we found a statistically significant difference in the frequency of cases for all zoonoses according to age group, occupation, and region of residence. We also found a difference with the consumption of vegetables in emollients, and between clinical-epidemiological characteristics and having a family history of parasitic zoonoses. Conclusions. From the 7811 samples, we found that these parasitic zoonoses are distributed in 13 regions of the Peruvian highlands, and represent a major health problem, with frequencies that change according to different characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine fasciolosis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis that causes economic losses to beef production chains due to liver condemnation at abattoirs. Despite the characterization of Bovine fasciolosis in several areas of Brazil, an update on its prevalence in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo is lacking. Thus, fasciolosis prevalence from 2018 to 2021 is presented here according to cattle origin (municipalities of both states). In addition, the associated economic impact on an abbatoir was analyzed through liver condemnation of bovines from both states. The prevalence of fasciolosis in the state of Espírito Santo (10.4%) was significantly higher than Rio de Janeiro (3.6%) (P < 0.01), and resulted in an economic loss of US$12,678.60 for the abattoir. The following municipalities located in the state of Espírito Santo presented prevalences above the mean (10.3%) established in the study: Vargem Alta, Anchieta, Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, Castelo, Atilio Vivacqua, Apiacá and Ibitirama. Thus, majority of these municipalities are considered high-risk areas. Although, there is an aparrent reduction of fasciolosis prevalence, it continues to be a cause of economic losses in abattoirs especially in the state of Espírito Santo. Accordingly, prophylactic measures must still be adopted in cattle farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslimah N Alsulami,1 Majed H Wakid,2 Mohammed Al-matary,3 Rewaida Abdel-Gaber,4 Wafa Abdullah I Al-Megrin,5 Areej O Bakhraibah,1 Abdullah D Alanazi,6 Hatem A Elshabrawy,7 Asmaa M El-Kady8 1Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, 21493, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Shaqra University, Ad-Dawadimi, 11911, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sam Houston State University, Conroe, TX, 77304, USA; 8Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, EgyptCorrespondence: Asmaa M El-Kady; Hatem A Elshabrawy, Email Asmaa.elkady@med.svu.edu.eg; hatem.elshabrawy@shsu.eduBackground: In Saudi Arabia, more than US$ 0.2 million annual losses are caused by liver condemnations due to fascioliasis. Data obtained from the genetic characterization of Fasciola population sheds light on parasite transmission which could eventually help in development of effective parasite control measures. So, the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of Fasciola spp. isolated from cattle in Saudi Arabia by sequence analyses of COI gene.Materials and Methods: A total of 325 cows slaughtered at the central municipal abattoir in Jeddah city, Jeddah Province, Saudi Arabia were examined for fascioliasis in the period from 1st of June to 1st of July 2020. DNA was extracted from adult Fasciola worms and used for PCR and DNA sequence using a primer pair targeting COI gene. Analysis of the obtained sequences was done using BLAST search and phylogenetic analysis.Results: Bovine fascioliasis was diagnosed in 18 out of 325 cattle (5.5%). Forty-eight flukes were extracted from infected animals and DNA was successfully amplified from all flukes. Overall 12 different DNA sequences were obtained. BLAST search showed that all obtained sequences were F. hepatica and had > 97% similarity with F. hepatica isolates from Tanzania, Europe and Iran. Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained sequences showed that Fasciola isolates from the current study were clustered in one subclade closely related to isolates from North and South Africa and Italy.Conclusion: Reports on the molecular characterization of Fasciola spp. in Saudi Arabia are limited. In the current study, our findings showed that F. hepatica was the only Fasciola species parasitizing cattle in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. Further studies using a large number of samples from different localities in Saudi Arabia are needed to provide data that will help the development of control measures against fascioliasis.Keywords: fascioliasis, cattle, PCR, COI, Saudi Arabia

Background: Quantification of organ size has utility in clinical care and research for diagnostics, prognostics and surgical planning. Volumetry is regarded as the best measure of organ size and change in size over time. Scarce reference values exist for liver and spleen volumes in healthy children. Objective: To report liver and spleen volumes for a sample of children defined by manual segmentation of contrast-enhanced CT images with the goal of defining normal values and thresholds that might indicate disease. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included clinically acquired contrast-enhanced CTs of the abdomen/pelvis for children and adolescents imaged between January 2018 and July 2021. Liver and spleen volumes were derived through manual segmentation of CTs reconstructed at 2.5-, 3- or 5-mm slice thickness. A subset of images (5%, n=16) was also segmented using 0.5-mm slice thickness reconstructions to define agreement based on image slice thickness. We used Pearson correlation and multivariable regression to assess associations between organ volumes and patient characteristics. We generated reference intervals for the 5th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 95th percentiles for organ volumes as a function of age and weight using quantile regression models. Finally, we calculated Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to quantify agreement. Results: We included a total of 320 children (mean age ± standard deviation [SD] = 9±4.6 years; mean weight 38.1±18.8 kg; 160 female). Liver volume ranged from 340–2,002 mL, and spleen volume ranged from 28–480 mL. Patient weight (kg) (β=12.5), age (months) (β=1.7) and sex (female) (β = −35.3) were independent predictors of liver volume, whereas patient weight (kg) (β=2.4) and age (months) (β=0.3) were independent predictors of spleen volume. There was excellent absolute agreement (ICC=0.99) and minimal absolute difference (4 mL) in organ volumes based on reconstructed slice thickness. Conclusion: We report reference liver and spleen volumes for children without liver or spleen disease. These results provide reference ranges and potential thresholds to identify liver and spleen size abnormalities that might reflect disease in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]