Developing countries like Nepal, the disease like fascioliasis has made its existence and is prevailing in every shed of the ruminants. Untimely deworming practices and herding the ruminants together have made an economic loss. So routine examination of the ruminants, timely deworming, and good pasture management are necessary to be practiced to decrease the prevalence of the fascioliasis.

1. “FASCIOLIASIS IN BUFFALOES IN
NEPAL”
SUSHIL NEUPANE
INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL SCIENCE
KIRTIPUR, KATHMANDU, NEPAL
1

2. INTRODUCTION
 Fascioliasis is caused by Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica which
inhabit in liver of host.
 They are species of trematode and also called liver fluke.
 It has definitive hosts like cattle, buffalo, goat, and sheep and has
snail as intermediate host belonging to family Lymnaeidae.
 Metacercaria is the infective stage of fluke that is transmitted to
the livestock through the grass and straw.
 Fascioliasis has negative impacts on weight, milk yield , fertility
in cattle sheep, goats and buffaloes.
2

3. INTRODUCTION
 In 1973, Singh et al. (1973) reported an infection rate of 50 to 90
percent in animals in areas below 1800 m.
 Acute or chronic fascioliasis causes the loss of blood of about 0.2-
0.5ml per animal by a worm in a day (Khan et al 2009, 2011;
Nguyen et al 2017).
 Mahato and Harrison (2005) observed that the prevalence ranged
from 30-70% in buffaloes in Nepal. About 60% of buffaloes are
kept stall-fed and the prevalence is higher in the stallfed than in the
out grazed.
3

4. REGION CATTLE BUFFALO
ES
SHEEP GOAT PIGS DUCK
EASTERN 2264640 1117409 80087 2359358 621574 134803
CENTRAL 1872103 1389053 79501 3566512 262094 114478
W.ESTERN 959726 1261788 158812 2153241 157785 108036
MID-
WESTERN
1230591 879350 381086 2006861 233672 23660
FAR-
WESTERN
1020427 530398 102489 1079127 52911 13798
N E PA L : 7347487 5177998 801975 11165099 1328036 394775
Livestock Population and Their Distribution (2016/2017)
Source:(Ministry of Livestock development, 2017)
67.7% of the total milk production and 57.4% of the total meat production in
Nepal is contributed by buffalo farming. (Sah et al., 2018).
4

5. CAUSATIVE AGENT
 F. hepatica and Fasciola gigantica commonly known as liver fluke
are the causes of fascioliasis .
 Fasciola hepatica is found in temperate zones while Fasciola
gigantica is found in tropical regions.
5

6. EPIDEMIOLOGY
 F. hepatica occurs mostly in the temperate climates of Europe,
North America, North Asia, Australia and North Africa.
 F. gigantica is prevalent in tropical environments and widespread
through Africa, Asia.
 An intermediate form between two species of fasciola has been
reported from Japan (Akahane and Oshima, 1976) and Nepal
(Lohani and Jaeckle, 1981/1982).
 Hybridisation of F. hepatica and F. gigantica is likely to occur
because of the mixed infections in animals for a long time
(Hammond, 1970).
6

7. EPIDEMIOLOGY
 Lymnaea viridis and L. auricularia are common species of
lymnaeid snails found in Nepal.
 The metacercaria are found in great number in summer and
autumn season. But they don’t survive under severe winter
conditions.
 The number of infected lymnaeid snails in the grazing area
determines the risk of fascioliasis.
 For a short time high numbers of metacercaria produce acute
fascioliasis and low numbers of metacercaria for long period
produces chronic fascioliasis.
 With the age of the animals the burdens of fluke increases.
7

8. PATHOGENESIS
 The metacercaria penetrate through the intestinal wall and reach
peritoneal cavity.
 They migrate towards the liver through the peritoneum and then
migrate through the liver parenchyma.
 Acute hepatic insufficiency and hemorrhage result.
 Chronic hepatic fascioliasis develops only after the adult flukes
establish in the bile ducts. Here, they cause cholangitis, biliary
obstruction, fibrosis and a leakage of plasma protein across the
epithelium resulting hypoalbuminemia.
 Acute form is comparatively rare form whereas chronic form is the
common form.
8

9. 9

10. Year(Ad) Place Season Number Of
Animals
Tested
Percentage
Of Positive
Animals
Tested
Refrences
2014 Dhankuta Summer 263 40.3 (Sah et al.,
2018)
Rainy 259 34.4
Winter 276 44.9
2007 KTM(Satun
gal)
----------- 262 32.06
1999 Syangja ----------- 67.66 (Regmi et
al.,1999)
------- Surkhet ---------- ------ 56.75 (Parajuli,1967-
1992)
---------- Panchthar ------------ -------- 40.12 (Sharma, 1997-
98)
2014 Mahottari 100 58.82 (Yadav, 2015)
2014 Dhanusa 100 41.18 (Yadav, 2015)
PREVALENCE OF FASCIOLIASIS IN BUFFALOES IN
NEPAL 10

11. 41.18
32.06
58.82
40.12
56.75
67.66
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Prevalence of Fascioliasis in buffaloes in Nepal.
Total
41.18
32.06
58.82
40.12
56.75
67.66
Prevalence of Fascioliasis in buffaloes in
Nepal.
Dhanusa
KTM(Satungal)
Mahottari
Panchthar
Surkhet
Syangja
11

12. HUMAN FASCIOLIASIS IN NEPAL
 The total estimated number of people infected is 2.4 million in 61 countries
and that the number at risk is more than 180 million throughout the world.
 In Nepal, the first reported case of the liver fluke is in the rural community
of Judigaun located in a hill area of Kavrepalanchok District (Hamano et
al. 1999).
 The second case is reported on four school children found shedding F.
hepatica eggs in a faecal survey performed in the locality of Jerona, located
in Chitwan District.
 The present fascioliasis report from Kerabari, Morang District, constitutes
the12th human case of Fasciola infection in Nepal (Sah et al, 2018).
12

13. PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE
 Infected accidentally by eating raw aquatic plants such as watercress, with encysted
metacercariae.
 Human fascioliasis is reported to be common in Cuba, Uruguay and Argentina.
 The disease, largely caused by F. hepatica, is reported to occur in France, England, the
Netherlands, and Australia.
 Disease caused by F.gigantica occurs less commonly.
 Many infected persons are asymptomatic during the migration of the larvae, though some
experience fever and pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen with an
associated eosinophilia.
 In heavy infections, there is enlargement of the liver.
 The areas with the highest known rates of human infection are in the Andean highlands
of Bolivia and Peru.
13

14. Epidemiological classification of
human fascioliasis situations
 Hypoendemic: Prevalence is less than 1%. The arithmetic mean intensity is
less than 50 epg. Outdoor defecation is not practiced.
 Mesoendemic: Prevalence is between 1 to10%. The arithmetic mean intensity
is usually between 50 and 300 epg. Intensities over 1,000 epg are rare. Outdoor
defecation is practiced.
 Hyperendemic: Prevalence is more than 10%. High prevalence is seen in 5-15
year-old children .The arithmetic mean intensity is more than 300 epg. Intensities
over 1,000 epg is relatively frequent. Indiscriminate defecation is practiced.
14

15. APPROACHES TO CONTROL
FASCIOLIASIS IN NEPAL
 Cultivated land with rice prevent grazing of animals.
 Keeping the animals away from roadsides and rice fields after harvesting rice.
 The cercariae of F. gigantica encyst on parts of plants at least about two
centimetres below the water and that no metacercariae are found on parts of the
plants above the water level. Good pasture management and dried rice straw
prevent fasciolosis in stall-fed animals.
 Planting certain tree spp., the leaves and seeds of which are molluscicidal such as
Eucalyptus spp, Sapindus emarginatus, Acacia concinna, Caesalpinia corearia and
Embelica officinalis etc. round the edges of habitats has been found as a potential
method to control snail.
15

16. APPROACHES TO CONTROL
FASCIOLIASIS IN NEPAL
 Duck farming :When snails are infected with duck fluke larvae, they are
resistant to Fasciola infection. Number of snails are reduced as snails are eaten
by ducks and ducks shed eggs of duck flukes in the field.
 Adult fluke is eliminated by using specific drugs from the bile ducts of all
grazing stock in spring and early summer.
 Vaccines for F. hepatica are under trial.
16

17. Molluscicidal trees and shrubs
Acacia concinna Caesalpinia corearia Embelica officinalis
17

18. Molluscicidal trees and shrubs
Sapindus emarginatus
Eucalyptus spp
18

19. TREATMENT
 Triclabendazole is a drug against f. hepatica in cattle.
Dose: cattle: 12mg/kg b.w.t
It is highly effective against all stages of flukes.
 Oxyclozanide is used only for cattle and has a significant effect against the adult
fluke but is inactive against immature forms.
Dose: 10-15/kg b.w.t orally
 Rafoxanide is found to be 98-99%effective @7.5mg/ kg.b.wt.
 Nitroxynil @10 mg/kg b.w.t s/c for alternate 3days has good efficacy against
adult flukes.
 Albendazole @10mg/kg b.w.t in cattle is effective against adult fluke
19

20. REFERENCES
 Oshima, T., H. Akahane, and T. Shimazu. "Patterns of the variation of the common liver fluke
(Fasciola sp.) in Japan. I. Variations in the sizes and shapes of the worms and eggs." Japanese
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21. REFERENCES
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22. REFERENCES
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