Gross and histological lesions in the livers of sika deer with particular emphasis on fascioliasis

An Update on the Pathogenesis of Fascioliasis: What Do We Know?

Fasciola hepatica is a trematode parasite distributed worldwide. It is known to cause disease in mammals, producing significant economic loses to livestock industry and burden to human health. After ingestion, the parasites migrate through the liver and mature in the bile ducts. A better understanding of the parasite's immunopathogenesis would help to develop efficacious therapeutics and vaccines. Currently, much of our knowledge comes from in vitro and in vivo studies in animal models. Relatively little is known about the host-parasite interactions in humans. Here, we provide a narrative review of what is currently know about the pathogenesis and host immune responses to F. hepatica summarizing the evidence available from the multiple hosts that this parasite infects.

Immunodiagnosis of cattle fascioliasis using a 27 kDa Fasciola gigantica antigen

Background and Aim:

Diagnosis of fascioliasis depends on clinical symptoms and routine laboratory tests. Recently, antibodies and circulating antigens of Fasciola were used for detecting active infections. Therefore, this study aimed to identify Fasciola gigantica antigens in the sera of infected cattle using Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for an accurate diagnosis of cattle infected with F. gigantica.

Materials and Methods:

Serum samples were obtained from 108, 23, and 19 cattle infected with Fasciola gigantica, Paramphistomum cervi, and Strongylids, respectively, including 57 non-infected cattle that were used as healthy cattle for the study. Western blotting and ELISA were then used to detect circulating Fasciola antigens at 27 kDa.

Results:

The target epitope was detected in an F. gigantica adult-worm antigen preparation, excretory/secretory products, and serum from cattle infected with F. gigantica. However, it was absent in sera from P. cervi, Strongylids, and healthy cattle. The purified 27 kDa F. gigantica (FPA-27) antigen was also detected in cattle serum using ELISA with high degrees of sensitivity and specificity (94% and 82%, respectively), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.89 with a highly significant correlation of p<0.0001.

Conclusion:

The FPA-27 is proposed to be a promising candidate for the serodiagnosis of fascioliasis in cattle.

First report on the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica in the endangered Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) in China

BACKGROUND

Fasciola hepatica is an important zoonotic parasite that causes fasciolosis in a broad range of animals. No information is available about the prevalence of F. hepatica in Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), an endangered species in the world. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of fasciolosis in Père David's deer in the Dafeng Elk National Natural Reserve, Jiangsu province, China.

RESULTS

In this study, 142 fecal samples from Père David's deer were analyzed for F. hepatica by microscopy and nest-PCR. Only one sample was positive for F. hepatica according to microscopy examination, while 18 of 142 (12.68, 95%CI: 2.841-22.45%) samples were positive for F. hepatica according to nest-PCR results.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report of prevalence of F. hepatica in Père David's deer. The prevalence data indicated that F. hepatica was also present in this endangered animal, which may cause a potential threat to this precious species.