Fascioliasis in cattle: causes, symptoms and treatment. What is fascioliasis - routes of infection, diagnosis and treatment Fascioliasis lesions in the liver of cattle

Animal fascioliasis is a dangerous and common helminthic disease caused by trematodes of the genus Fasciola, which infect the liver, causing irreparable damage to the health of the animal and leading to a decrease in milk yield. Fascioliasis is most common in cattle; the disease also affects goats and sheep. In advanced cases, even the death of the livestock is possible, but timely veterinary measures can completely eliminate the symptoms within 30-40 days.

Symptoms of fascioliasis in cattle

In its acute form, fascioliasis in a cow manifests itself in the first days after infection:

the animals' temperature rises (up to 41.6 degrees);

appetite worsens;

vomiting often occurs;

the animal looks depressed;

palpation reveals an enlarged liver, the abdominal muscles are tense;

Possible heart rhythm disturbances

The acute form is also characterized by increased skin sensitivity.

Without veterinary intervention, the disease becomes chronic: animals become lethargic, drowsy, lose weight, their fur becomes dull, and milk yield remains minimal even with maximum nutrition.

Diagnosis of fascioliasis in cattle

If infection is suspected, it is necessary to conduct a stool examination to identify fasciola eggs. They can be noticed after thoroughly washing the stool - they are yellow in color and have an oval shape. They reach 0.14 mm in length and 0.09 mm in width. The most accurate information about infection is provided by laboratory tests.

Treatment of fascioliasis

The NITA-FARM company offers professional drugs of the latest generation for the treatment and prevention of fascioliasis.

Ritril. A comprehensive solution for combating any helminths, including mixed infestations. The drug equally effectively cleanses the animal’s body of fasciolae at any stage of development, suppressing even immature forms. Used as a prophylactic agent and provides long-term protection against fascioliasis without additional diagnostic costs. The drug is based on ricobendazole and triclabendazole. Substances quickly spread through the internal organs and tissues of the animal, are excreted with bile, and less often with urine or milk. Slaughter is carried out 40 days after administration of the drug.

Prevention of fascioliasis

It is difficult to protect animals 100%, since they most often become infected at watering places and in the process of eating grass in pastures. To achieve a positive result, you must:

carry out deworming of cattle at least 2 times a year;

provide drainage for pastures and isolate them from irrigated lands;

drain wetlands;

use water that has passed sanitary control for drinking water;

• change pastures regularly.

One of the most common diseases in cattle, which has characteristic symptoms and leads to serious consequences, is fascioliasis.

Read about why it is so dangerous, what symptoms it is accompanied by, and how a person can help a sick animal.

What is fascioliasis

In simple terms, fascioliasis is a worm that affects the liver and gall bladder. They cause serious harm to the animal. In advanced cases, their vital activity can lead to the death of livestock. Thus, the disease leads to serious economic damage to livestock farming. Each cattle infected with fascioliasis loses from 24 to 41 kg of live weight. A cow may not produce 223 kg of milk in a year. With timely treatment, the prognosis for the course of the disease is positive. Full recovery occurs after 30–40 days.
Intermediate hosts of Fasciola The disease can affect almost all types of farm animals, wild animals, and humans. Mature individuals become ill more often; in young animals, fascioliasis is recorded much less frequently. Often, cases of infection with this helminth disease are recorded at the end of summer; animals are not infected in winter.

Did you know? If a cow looks at the headlights or lantern at night, her eyes will glow. This is due to the fact that there is a special pigment in her organs of vision that reflects light and enhances its low levels.

Sources and routes of infection

Thus, there can be two sources of infection with fasciola:

Symptoms and course of the disease

Acute form

In the acute form, the following symptoms are most often recorded:

• increase in body temperature to 41.5 degrees;
• loss of appetite, refusal to eat;
• vomit;
• gastrointestinal disorders;
• depressed state;
• liver enlargement;
• abdominal muscle tension;
• heart rhythm disturbance;
• increased skin sensitivity.

If acute fascioliasis is not treated in time, it will become chronic.

Chronic

The chronic course of the disease is characterized by the following symptoms:

• lethargy, drowsiness;
• sudden weight loss;
• dullness and hair loss;
• significant decrease in milk quantity;
• blanching of the mucous membranes.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of fascioliasis is made based on examination of the animal and identification of its characteristic symptoms, as well as the results of stool tests performed in the laboratory.

Pathological changes

If the animal has died, then upon autopsy, fascioli are found in its hepatic bile ducts. In the liver, mucosal ruptures, small foci of necrosis, cellular infiltrate, and destroyed areas are also observed. In severe cases, cirrhosis is detected.

Changes will also be visible in the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, hemorrhages are found in the duodenum, the gallbladder is in an expanded state.

Did you know? The skin covering a cow's nose has a unique pattern by which the animal can be identified as a human by fingerprints.

How to cure a cow with fascioliasis

If fascioliasis is detected, treatment will consist of 3 stages: disinfection of the premises in which livestock are kept, disinfection of manure and administration of medications to animals.

General control measures

Manure is disinfected using the biothermal method in manure storage facilities and in areas that are inaccessible to animals. They remove it with special equipment intended only for this purpose, and place it in piles with a volume of no more than 1 cubic meter. m. As soon as the temperature begins to rise (this happens by itself, without performing additional actions), the manure is compacted and a new portion is added. After long-term storage (about 4-6 months) in manure storage facilities or on sites, it is transported to the field.

After deworming, feces, premises, walking areas and equipment are subjected to disinfection for 5-6 days by mechanical cleaning and heat treatment with boiling water or weak disinfectant solutions, which are also used hot.

Drugs

In modern veterinary medicine, fascioliasis is treated with several drugs with different active ingredients:

Important! Fascioliasis requires mandatory treatment. When treating with medications, you must follow the recommendations of the veterinarian and the instructions that come with the drug. Prescribing medications yourself or deviating from the prescribed dosage is prohibited. Unauthorized actions can cause harm to the health of the animal, since all drugs have side effects.

• "Hexachloroparaxylene." Available in powder form. Added to food, grain or mixed feed. Given once - 0.5 g per 1 kg of weight to 1 animal;
• "Acemidophen." Available in the form of an aqueous suspension. Given in a dosage of 0.15 g per 1 kg of weight. The drug is mixed with feed. Treatment requires a single dose. Milk and meat can be consumed 14 days after the animal has consumed the medicine;
• "Sulfene". Dosage - 0.05–0.1 g per 1 kg of weight. Mixed with food;
• "Disalan." Dosage - 0.01–0.015 g per 1 kg of weight. Given in a group method, mixed with food;
• "Dertil B" give to animals based on the calculation of 0.004–0.006 g/kg or 1 tablet per 100 kg of weight.

Is it possible to drink milk and eat meat from an infected animal?

Since fascioliasis can infect people, meat and milk of an infected animal should not be consumed. They are also prohibited from feeding other pets, such as cats and dogs.
Meat from an infected animal After the therapy has been carried out, meat and milk cannot be eaten for a certain time. The period of prohibition depends on the drug used for treatment.

The symptoms are dominated by nonspecific clinical manifestations, which are characteristic of most liver pathologies. This includes pain in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium, nausea, and an increase in the size of the affected organ.

A correct diagnosis can be made based on data obtained during laboratory and instrumental examinations of the patient. In the treatment of the disease, conservative methods predominate, but if necessary, surgical intervention is performed.

Etiology

The causative agent of human fascioliasis can be two microorganisms - the liver fluke and the giant fluke. They belong to the same subspecies, as they have a large number of common morphological characteristics. In addition, they can mate with each other. Their main difference is their volumes - the liver fluke is up to three centimeters long and up to 1.3 cm wide, and the giant fluke reaches eight centimeters in length and twelve millimeters in width.

The ways of infection with fascioliasis are as follows:

• consumption of contaminated wild plants - this includes sorrel and watercress, garden greens and wild onions;
• drinking raw water from questionable reservoirs;
• poor sanitary treatment of garden herbs and vegetables;
• eating fascioliasis liver of an animal - in this case, transient eggs enter the human intestine, which do not provoke the development of the disease, but are detected during laboratory examination of feces;
• accidental entry of contaminated water into the oral cavity while bathing.

In all cases, except the last one, the pathogen larvae are released from their membranes in the gastrointestinal tract, after which they penetrate the peritoneum through the intestinal wall. Then fasciola penetrates the liver parenchyma and penetrates the bile ducts. Another route of migration of such a microorganism cannot be ruled out – hematogenous, i.e. with the blood flow.

Gastroenterologists distinguish several stages of progression of fascioliasis in people, namely:

• incubation phase– this is the period from the moment of ingestion of fasciola until the appearance of the first symptoms. This period can last from several days to three months. The duration depends on such factors as the number of ingested microorganisms and the state of the human immune system;
• invasive or acute– is expressed in the migration of the causative agent of the disease along the bile ducts;
• latent or hidden– lasts from two months to several years and is characterized by asymptomatic progression. In such cases, the course of the disease can be detected only during a laboratory examination of stool or blood, as well as during an ultrasound scan. Such activities can be carried out to diagnose a completely different ailment or as a preventive measure;
• chronic– characterized by an undulating course and a high probability of developing severe complications.

According to localization, fascioliasis can occur not only in the liver and bile ducts; very rarely, fascioli affects:

• brain;
• lungs;
• organs of vision;
• eustachian tubes;
• larynx.

Symptoms

Based on the phase in which the disease occurs, its clinical picture will differ.

The first symptoms of fascioliasis, manifested during the migration phase, are characterized as follows:

• an increase in temperature up to fever;
• general weakness and malaise;
• intense headaches;
• the appearance of rashes like urticaria;
• severe skin itching.

In the invasive phase of the disease, in addition to the above symptoms, the following clinical manifestations are observed:

• pain in the epigastric region and in the area under the right ribs;
• yellowness of the skin and visible mucous membranes;
• temperature rise to 40–42 degrees;
• constant nausea;
• decreased or complete lack of appetite;
• violation of the act of defecation, which is expressed in severe diarrhea;
• increased gas formation;
• cough and hemoptysis;
• shortness of breath and pain in the sternum;
• – this is a condition in which there is a simultaneous enlargement of the liver and spleen;

For a chronic course, during the exacerbation stage, the following symptoms are most characteristic:

• fluctuations in blood pressure from normal to high values;
• heart rate disturbance;
• paroxysmal pain in the right side;
• constant heaviness in the projection of the affected organ;
• biliary colic;
• aversion to fatty foods;
• nausea;
• dizziness;
• jaundice.

It is extremely rare that fascioliasis is localized in the eyeball - monocular blindness will be observed.

Diagnostics

When the first signs appear, you must seek help from a therapist or gastroenterologist as soon as possible. It is these specialists who can conduct an initial examination, prescribe laboratory and instrumental examinations, based on the results of which they will make the correct diagnosis and formulate the most effective treatment tactics for fascioliasis in humans.

The first stage of diagnostic measures is aimed at the doctor’s work with the patient and includes:

• studying the patient’s life history will help identify the most likely route of infection with fasciola;
• a thorough physical examination of the patient, including palpation of the anterior wall of the abdominal cavity, in particular in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium, examination of the condition of the skin, as well as measurement of pressure, pulse and temperature;
• a detailed survey of the patient is necessary to determine the onset of manifestation and intensity of the symptoms of the disease. This will enable the specialist to determine the phase of the disease.

Laboratory diagnosis of fascioliasis involves:

• clinical and biochemical blood tests - to identify anemia and signs of a pathological process;
• general urine analysis;
• microscopic examination of feces - eggs of the pathogen can be found in feces;
• determining the level of ALT and AST, as well as alkaline phosphatase;
• serological methods - RPGA and ELISA;
• studying duodenal contents.

In addition, instrumental examinations of the patient will be required, which include:

• CT scan of the liver;

Fascioliasis must be differentiated from the following ailments:

• clonorchiasis;
• unknown etiology;

Treatment

To neutralize the causative agent of the disease, conservative treatment methods are often sufficient, including:

• taking medications;
• maintaining a nutritious diet;
• physiotherapeutic procedures;
• the use of folk remedies is only after the approval of the attending physician.

Drug treatment of fascioliasis is aimed at using:

The general treatment program necessarily includes following a diet. Diet therapy involves complete abandonment of:

• fatty and spicy foods;
• flour and confectionery products;
• seafood and offal;
• smoked meats and pickles;
• alcoholic drinks.

At the same time, the basis of the diet should be:

• vegetarian first courses;
• dietary varieties of fish and meat;
• water-based porridge. Particular preference should be given to buckwheat and rice;
• fermented milk products;
• vegetables after they have undergone heat treatment;
• baked fruits;
• green or herbal tea.

If conservative treatment is ineffective, as well as if complications develop, surgical intervention is indicated, which can be aimed at draining the biliary tract or liver abscess.

Possible complications

Fascioliasis is a rather dangerous disease, which very often leads to the development of the following complications:

• blockage of the bile ducts;
• formation of stones in the gallbladder;
• , as a consequence of obstruction of the biliary tract;
• gallbladder dyskinesia;
• anemia;
• the addition of a secondary infection significantly reduces the chances of recovery;
• purulent cholangitis or cholecystitis;
• formation;
• allergic;
• bile duct strictures.

Prevention

To avoid the development of such a disease, prevention of fascioliasis includes:

• excluding the use of raw water from questionable reservoirs;
• ensuring that garden greens are thoroughly washed with purified water;
• timely examination and deworming of livestock;
• Regular visits to a gastroenterologist for preventive examinations.

Timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease allows the patient to achieve complete recovery. Ignoring symptoms and unwillingness to seek qualified help is fraught with the development of complications that can lead to death.

Content

What is fascioliasis

Course of the disease in humans

Human fascioliasis goes through 4 stages of development, characterized by specific symptoms and effects on the body. In the early stages of the disease, larvae migrate throughout the body through the bloodstream or tissues. Late stages are characterized by the development of destructive changes and the appearance of symptoms of liver diseases. Diagnosing helminthiasis before it becomes chronic helps prevent irreversible changes in liver cells. Specific features of the development of trematodosis are given in the table:

Symptoms

• fever accompanied by high body temperature;
• allergic manifestations - urticaria, rash, itching, allergic myocarditis;
• swelling of the skin, up to Quincke's edema;
• hyperemia;
• paroxysmal headache;
• constant feeling of nausea;
• profuse and frequent vomiting;
• anemia;
• weakness;
• cough, chest pain;
• hepatomegaly, splenomegaly (pathological increase in the size of the liver and spleen);
• periodic increases in blood pressure;
• tachycardia.

• hepatic colic;
• epigastric pain;
• pain in the right hypochondrium, characteristic of liver cirrhosis;
• icteric discoloration of the skin;
• loss of appetite.

Diagnostics

Anthelminthic therapy can be carried out on an outpatient or inpatient basis. During an exacerbation of the disease, treatment of fascioliasis is carried out in a hospital setting, which requires hospitalization of the patient. When helminthiasis becomes chronic, therapy is carried out at home. At the initial stage, medical care is reduced to symptomatic and pathogenetic therapy, which involves taking the following groups of drugs:

• enzymatic (Mezim, Mikrasim, Creon);
• hepatoprotectors (Essliver, Karsil, Ursosan);
• choleretic drugs (Hotofil);
• antihistamines (Cetrin, Zordak, Tavegil, Suprastin);
• enterosorbents (Polysorb);
• antispasmodic drugs (Buscopan, No-shpa, Papaverine, Drotaverine);
• probiotics (Bifiform, Linnex).

Prevention

Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials in the article do not encourage self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

Fascioliasis is most widespread in South America, Central Asia, and Transcaucasia. Due to the special danger of this disease, cases of the disease are clearly recorded throughout the world, and in the event of an increase in incidence, appropriate preventive measures are taken. If a person is diagnosed with fascioliasis, he will certainly be sent to quarantine.

Course of the disease

In the human body, this disease can occur in both acute and chronic forms. The first and most common symptom in this case is a severe allergic reaction that occurs in the body in response to the release of toxic waste products by the helminth. A special role in the mechanism of formation of the chronic form of fascioliasis is played by adult helminths, which, thanks to their suckers and spines, can cause serious mechanical damage to the liver tissue and the walls of the bile ducts.

The result of this process is a persistent violation of the outflow of bile, followed by the addition of a bacterial infection. If this pathology is not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, it can lead to serious damage and death of liver cells. This disease in its acute phase can be successfully treated with drug therapy. In the chronic course of fascioliasis, prognoses regarding complete recovery are questionable.

Symptoms in humans

From the moment the causative agents of fascioliasis enter the body and until the first signs of the disease appear, an average of up to 8 days passes, but this period can last for several months. The early stage of this disease can be perceived as a banal allergy, since the following symptoms predominate in a person:

• severe increase in temperature (usually more than 40°C);
• the appearance of a skin rash;
• constant itching in areas of the rash;
• swelling and redness of the skin, urticaria;
• The appearance of jaundice is often observed.

With fascioliasis, all of the above symptoms may be accompanied by attacks of headache, weakness and general malaise, diffuse abdominal pain, and chills. A person suffering from this disease may complain of nausea and prolonged vomiting. When examining such a patient, an increase in the size of the liver may be observed, and when pressing on it, the person feels pain. Although such a symptom can be caused by a very wide range of other reasons.

Additional symptoms of fascioliasis in humans include clinical signs of myocarditis, which are expressed by increased blood pressure, sharp chest pain, and tachycardia. In a chronic course, the symptoms are less pronounced. A person may feel a dull pain in the abdomen, mainly in the right hypochondrium. In addition, digestive disorders such as nausea, diarrhea, flatulence, belching, and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth may occur.

Stages of fascioliasis in humans

During the course of fascioliasis in humans, there are 4 main phases:

Diagnostics

Photos of ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans(click to see)

Photo of fascioliasis on ultrasound

CT photo of fascioliasis

Photo of fascioliasis on MRI

Treatment

Treatment of fascioliasis in people has several different options, the choice of which depends on the stage of the disease, as well as the characteristics of the treatment of the pathological process in the body of a particular person. In the acute phase of the disease, it is recommended to follow a gentle diet, which involves excluding fatty, fried, sweet, and spicy foods from the diet, which can put additional stress on the liver. If a person has symptoms of myocarditis or hepatitis, glucocorticosteroids are included in his treatment plan. It is recommended to start anthelmintic therapy only after the end of the acute phase. In order to expel the causative agents of fascioliasis from the lumen of the bile ducts, choleretic medications are prescribed.

Certain anthelmintics are effective against fascioliasis in both humans and pets. The drug of choice for the treatment of fascioliasis is, which belongs to the group of benzimidazole derivatives. The drug works by preventing the tubulin molecule from polymerizing into the cytoskeletal structure (microtubules). An alternative is, especially in veterinary medicine.

Treatment is ineffective. There are scientific reports of successful treatment of human fascioliasis with nitazoxanide in Mexico, although it is quite expensive and is not currently recommended. They also report the effectiveness of bithionol.

In the early 2000s, the Egyptian drug Mirazid, made from myrrh (a special tree resin), was studied as an oral therapy for trematodes, including fascioliasis, for which it immediately showed very good effectiveness. But it was later questioned because in subsequent trials the results were much worse.

If a person develops purulent complications, the doctor may prescribe antibacterial drugs, the dosage of which is selected individually. Surgical treatment of this disease is indicated only in the case of the development of a liver abscess, when drainage is necessary.

To control the quality of the treatment, six months after its completion, a laboratory test of stool analysis for helminthiasis is carried out, as well as a study of previously taken portions of bile.

Prevention

Preventing infection with this disease involves observing basic rules of personal hygiene and food hygiene. It is highly recommended not to consume water from open reservoirs that has not been pre-boiled. Unwashed vegetables, fruits and herbs can also cause fascioliasis infection. The general rules for the prevention of this pathology include veterinary registration and control of cattle, as well as carrying out sanitary and educational work among the population.

Forecasts

Timely diagnosis and properly selected treatment are the key to a person’s speedy recovery. In the case of massive helminthic infestation or the addition of a secondary bacterial infection, the prognosis for recovery is not very favorable. In especially severe cases, death is possible.

Symptoms in animals

Clinical signs of fascioliasis are always closely related to the infectious dose (the number of metacercariae eaten). In sheep, as the most common definitive host, clinical manifestations are divided into 4 types:

• Acute type I: the infectious dose is more than 5000 ingested metacercariae. Sheep die suddenly without any previous clinical signs. Sometimes they may experience ascites, abdominal bleeding, jaundice, pale skin, and weakness.
• Acute type II: the infectious dose is 1000-5000 ingested metacercariae. As in the previous case, the sheep die, but pallor, loss of consciousness and ascites appear for a short time.
• Subacute type: the infectious dose is 800-1000 ingested metacercariae. Sheep are lethargic, anemic, and there is a possibility of death. Weight loss is the dominant feature.
• Chronic fascioliasis: the infectious dose is 200-800 ingested metacercariae. The course is asymptomatic or swelling under the lower jaw and ascites, exhaustion, and weight loss gradually develop.

In the blood there are signs such as anemia, hypoalbuminemia (decreased albumin in the blood), and eosinophilia (increased eosinophils) can be observed in all types of fascioliasis. An increase in the blood of liver enzymes such as glutamate dehydrogenase (GlDH), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is detected in the subacute or chronic type of fascioliasis at 12-15 weeks after ingestion of metacercariae. The economic negative effect of fascioliasis in sheep is the sudden death of animals, as well as a decrease in their weight and wool production.

In goats and cattle, the clinical manifestations are similar to sheep. However, the development of resistance to liver fluke (F. hepatica) infection is well known in adult cattle. Calves are susceptible to the disease, but it usually takes more than 1000 metacercariae to cause clinical manifestations of fascioliasis. In this case, the signs of the disease will be similar to those in sheep - weight loss, anemia, hypoalbuminemia and (after ingestion of 10,000 metacercariae) death. The consequences of fascioliasis in livestock include economic losses caused by liver disposal after slaughter and production losses, especially due to weight loss.

In sheep and sometimes cattle, damaged liver tissue becomes infected with Clostridia bacteria (C. novyi type B). They release toxins into the blood, which leads to the development of infectious necrotizing hepatitis, also known as “black disease” in sheep. There is no cure for it, and the result is quick death. Since the bacterium C. Novyi is common in the environment, black disease is found wherever liver flukes and sheep live.

Transmission routes

People become infected not from the animal itself, but by eating aquatic plants that contain infective cercariae (free-swimming larvae). Several types of aquatic vegetables are known sources of infection for humans. In Europe, watercress, woodcress, watercress, dandelion, field lettuce and spearmint have been reported as sources of infection for humans.

In the northern part of the Bolivian Altiplano, where fascioliasis is very common in humans, it is assumed that some aquatic plants such as bero-bero (watercress), algae, aquatic plants kjosco and tortora (reeds) may act as a source of causative agents of fascioliasis for people.

Because liver fluke cercariae are also encapsulated on the surface of water, people can become infected by drinking it. In addition, an experimental study showed that people who consume dishes made from raw or undercooked animal liver can become infected with fascioliasis by ingesting immature liver flukes.

Epidemiology

Infection of humans and animals with liver and giant flukes occurs in many regions of the world. Fascioliasis in animals is prevalent in countries with high numbers of cattle and sheep. In humans, the disease occurs, with the exception of Western Europe, mainly in developing countries. The disease occurs only in areas where suitable conditions for intermediate hosts are present.

Research in recent years has shown that human fascioliasis is an important public health problem. Cases of infection have been reported in countries in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Human cases are rising in 51 countries on five continents. Global analysis shows that the expected relationship between disease prevalence in animals and humans is observed only at a basic level. High rates of fascioliasis in humans are not necessarily found in areas where animals suffer from the problem. For example, in South America, pathogens are found in human bodies in Bolivia and Peru, where no particular frequency of diseases is observed in veterinary medicine. At the same time, in countries such as Uruguay, Argentina and Chile (leaders in cattle breeding), fascioliasis is relatively rare in humans.

Europe

North and South America

In North America the disease is very rare. There have been 53 cases reported in Mexico. In Central America, fascioliasis is a human health problem in the Caribbean islands, especially in the areas of Puerto Rico and Cuba. The Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio and Villa Clara are important endemic centers. In South America, fascioliasis in humans is a serious problem in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. These countries, located near the Andes, are considered to be the areas with the highest prevalence of human fascioliasis in the world. The most famous hyperendemic areas are located primarily on a high plain (plateau) called the Altiplano. In the northern Bolivian Altiplano, some communities have reported incidence rates of up to 72 and 100% in coprological (stool) and serological (blood serum) studies. In Peru, liver fluke in humans is found throughout the country. The highest prevalence rates were observed in Arequipa, Puno, Mantaro and Cajamarca valleys. In other South American countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, fascioliasis in humans is rare and incidental, despite high incidence rates in cattle.

Africa

In Africa, human cases of fascioliasis have been reported infrequently, except in northern areas. The highest prevalence has been recorded in Egypt, where the disease is spreading in communities living in the Nile Delta regions.

Asia

In Asia, the largest number of cases (more than 10 thousand) have been reported in Iran, especially in Gilan on the Caspian Sea. In East Asia, fascioliasis is rare in humans. Few cases have been reported in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.

Australia and Oceania

In Australia, fascioliasis in humans is extremely rare (only 12 cases have been described). In New Zealand, the liver fluke has never been found in humans.