Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. Electronic address: naimck@um.edu.my
  • 2 Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
  • 5 Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
  • 6 Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia. Electronic address: nurmahiza@upm.edu.my
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports, 2024 Apr;49:100998.
PMID: 38462308 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.100998

Abstract

Fasciolosis is a zoonotic disease, considered an emerging neglected tropical disease threatening ruminant productivity and causing economic losses. Controlling fasciolosis is challenging due to the complex life cycle of Fasciola, which involves snail intermediate hosts. The high rainfall status in Taiping makes it an optimal region for snail abundance, which increases the opportunity to complete Fasciola's life cycle. Previous studies showed that liver condemnation caused by fasciolosis was highly prevalent in the Taiping abattoir compared to other investigated main abattoirs of Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, the present study determined the prevalence of bovine fasciolosis and risk factors in farms from Larut and Matang (Taiping), Malaysia. Sampling was carried out from February until August 2020. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 371 fecal samples from bovines (dairy cattle, beef cattle, buffalo) were examined from 23 farms selected based on location, farmer consent, and history of anthelmintic usage. Animal's intrinsic and farm management details were recorded, and interview sessions were conducted with farmers to collect information on the potential risk factors. Individual fecal samples were examined for the presence of Fasciola egg using Flukefinder® sedimentation. There was moderate prevalence of bovine fasciolosis in Taiping (36.9%, n = 137/371). Significant risk factors (p 3 years (OR = 5.5, 95% CI: 5.43-5.57), thinner animals with body condition score of 1 to 4 (OR = 1.2-14.9, 95% CI: 1.09-15.08), and larger grazing area (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.30-1.31). Additional risk factors include the presence of more than one ruminant species in the same farm (OR = 2.0-2.1, 95% CI: 2.00-2.22), extensive housing system (OR = 4.0, 95% CI: 3.77-4.23), farm age (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.20-1.21), and also co-infection with Paramphistomes (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.10-1.71). The present study underscores the importance of local bovine fasciolosis epidemiology, which could be used to conduct future veterinary and public health programmes to inform effective parasitic management aimed at reducing the prevalence of fasciolosis.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.