Milena Batista Carneiro

Prevalence of liver condemnation due to bovine fasciolosis in Southern Espírito Santo: temporal distribution and economic losses

The present study was conducted to evaluate the economic losses and temporal distribution of the prevalence of liver condemnation due to bovine fasciolosis. The abattoir in Atílio Vivácqua, in the South of the State of Espírito Santo, which is under state inspection by the veterinary service of the Livestock and Forest Protection Institute of Espírito Santo, was used as the data source. The prevalence of liver condemnation due to fasciolosis over the period 2006-2009 was calculated. The χ(2) test, simple linear regression analysis and χ(2) for trend were used, with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Over the period analyzed, 110,956 cattle were slaughtered and the prevalence of liver condemnation due to Fasciola hepatica was 15.24% in 2006, 23.93% in 2007, 28.57% in 2008 and 28.24% in 2009. The historical trend of liver condemnation is an increasing trend, thus indicating that this parasitism has become established in the herd as a problem in this region, with prevalence similar to that of traditionally endemic regions. Condemnations occurred throughout the year, with the highest prevalence in April and May and with significant differences between the dry and wet seasons. The economic losses from liver condemnation can be considered high.

Distribution and factors associated with Fasciola hepatica infection in cattle in the south of Espírito Santo State, Brazil

Fasciolosis is a disease that affects the liver parenchyma and bile ducts of numerous animals, including humans, which causes economic losses and threatens public health. The present work aimed at reporting the distribution and factors connected with Fasciola hepatica infection in cattle in ten municipalities in southern Espirito Santo, Brazil, between 2008 and 2009. During this period, 50 rural properties in ten cities were analyzed and fecal samples from 10% of the cattle on each farm were collected. Of the 717 samples analyzed, 154 (21.33%) presented Fasciola hepatica eggs. As for the 50 rural properties studied, 32 (64%) had animals positive for fasciolosis. Throughout the evaluation, it was observed that 42 (84%) rural properties had flooded areas, 33 (66%) were located at altitudes less than 226 meters, in 36 (72%) mollusks were found, 47 (94%) had other definitive hosts (horses, sheep, goats) and 25 (50%) had previous cases of bovine fasciolosis. The present results showed a high rate of bovine fasciolosis in the analyzed region whereas infected animals are present in all the municipalities. Based on statistical analysis, it was concluded that there was an association between the presence of flooded areas and other definitive hosts in rural properties where bovine fasciolosis was detected.

Sedimentation technique (Foreyt, 2005) for quantitative diagnosis of Fasciola hepatica eggs.

Fasciola hepatica infection affects several animal species and is most often diagnosed in sheep and cattle. Fascioliasis presents nonspecific symptoms; therefore, laboratory diagnosis is required, with faecal examinations being the most frequently used as they are inexpensive, can be performed more easily and provide important epidemiological information. The objective of this study was to quantitatively compare the four sieves technique proposed by Girao and Ueno (1985) and the faecal sedimentation technique described by Foreyt (2005) in samples of cattle faeces artificially infected with F. hepatica eggs. Faecal contaminations were performed with 10, 25 or 50 eggs per gram for mild, moderate or heavy infection, respectively. Ten replicates were performed for each degree of infection for each technique, totalling 60 samples. The results showed that the faecal sedimentation technique was superior to the four sieves technique for quantitative diagnosis of F. hepatica. The percentage recovery of eggs was 68%, 59.36% and 65.88% using the sedimentation technique and 21%, 8.4% and 22.6% for the technique of Girao and Ueno (1985) in light, moderate and heavy infections, respectively. Additionally, the sedimentation technique described by Foreyt (2005) is cheaper to apply and easier to use.