Seasonal transmission of Fasciola hepatica to cattle in northwestern United States.
Sentinel steers were placed with 3 beef herds on irrigated pastures in southern Idaho for 1-month periods from May until November 1982 to determine the transmission pattern of Fasciola hepatica. Transmission was found to increase through the pasture season, reaching a peak during November. Overwintering of metacercariae or snail-borne stages was not found to contribute to infections in the year under study. A variety of species of Lymnaea were found to be available in southern Idaho as potential intermediate hosts. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was found to be a good serologic indicator of light infections with F hepatica. The serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity was not diagnostically significant when the degree of fluke infection was low.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D007061:Idaho; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase