title: Re-infection with Fasciola gigantica 6-month post-treatment with triclabendazole in cattle from mobile pastoralist husbandry systems at Lake Chad.
abstract: At Lake Chad in central Africa, livestock fascioliasis caused by Fasciola gigantica represents a major veterinary health problem, particularly in cattle reared in mobile pastoralist husbandry systems. We assessed re-infection after a single dose of triclabendazole with fascioliasis in cattle in a mobile pastoralist setting towards the end of the dry season. Within the cattle herds of 14 groups of mobile pastoralists, 375 cattle were randomly selected. A faecal sample was obtained from each animal to determine the prevalence of F. gigantica. Animals were administered a single oral dose of triclabendazole (12mg/kg). A second faecal sample was obtained 6-month post-treatment after cattle had returned from the annual migration cycle. Faecal samples were fixed in sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin (SAF), and examined for F. gigantica using the sedimentation technique. From the 375 cattle enrolled at baseline, 198 animals (53%) in 12 groups of mobile pastoralists were re-sampled at the 6-month follow-up. Baseline prevalence did not differ noteworthy between animals lost to follow-up and those re-examined. At baseline, bovine fascioliasis prevalence in cattle with follow-up data was 41.9% (95% confidence interval (CI) 35.2-48.9%). At the 6-month post-treatment follow-up, the prevalence was 46.0% (95% CI 39.2-52.9%), ranging between 0% and 75% at the herd level. The mean faecal egg counts at the unit of the herd were higher at follow-up compared to baseline. The observed persistent high prevalence of F. gigantica infection in cattle shows that a single pre-rainy season treatment does not prevent rapid re-infection despite the partial migration away from the high-risk areas at Lake Chad into drier areas. A locally adapted strategic control package for fascioliasis in cattle in the Lake Chad area ought to integrate targeted triclabendazole treatment and seasonal transhumance practices.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Greter
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche en Elevage pour le Développement, N'Djamena, Chad.
authors.forename: Annour A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Batil
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche en Elevage pour le Développement, N'Djamena, Chad.
authors.forename: Idriss O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Alfaroukh
authors.affiliation: Institute for Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche en Elevage pour le Développement, N'Djamena, Chad.
authors.forename: Bongo N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Ngandolo
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keiser
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jürg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utzinger
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zinsstag
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: jan.hattendorf@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hattendorf
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002596:Chad; D005209:Fasciola / Q000502:physiology; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D060106:Lakes; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D012621:Seasons; D000077682:Triclabendazole
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D000077682:Triclabendazole
keywords: Cattle; Chad; Fasciola gigantica; Fascioliasis; Mobile pastoralism; Triclabendazole