Fasciola hepatica infections in cattle and the freshwater snail Galba truncatula from Dakhla Oasis, Egypt.
Infection by Fasciola species was investigated in seven districts of Dakhla Oasis, Egypt, through abattoir inspection of cattle livers for adult worms and sedimentation of faecal samples from local cattle to detect Fasciola eggs. In addition, lymnaeid snails collected from the study area were examined microscopically for developmental stages of Fasciola spp. Abattoir inspection revealed that 51 out of 458 cattle livers (11.1%) contained adult flukes, which were identified morphologically as Fasciola hepatica. Examination of the cattle faecal samples revealed that 142 out of 503 (28.2%) contained Fasciola eggs. The collected snails, identified as Galba truncatula and Radix natalensis, showed larval stages of Fasciola in 71 out of 731 (9.7%) G. truncatula, while R. natalensis showed no infection. Specific duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the mitochondrial cox1 gene of F. hepatica and Fasciola gigantica was carried out on DNA extracted from pooled infected snails and adult worms. The F. hepatica size amplicon (1031 bp) was obtained from both the infected G. truncatula and the adult worms isolated from cattle livers from different districts. The amplicon sequences were identical to the published sequences of F. hepatica mitochondrial cox1 gene. In conclusion, the zoonotic importance of Fasciola infection and appropriate hygienic measures must be taken into consideration in Dakhla Oasis, Egypt.
Department of Parasitology,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Beni-Suef University,Beni-Suef 62511,Egypt.
W M
WM
Arafa
Regional Animal Health Research Laboratory, Animal Health Research Institute,Dakhla, El-Wadi El-Gadid,Egypt.
A I
AI
Hassan
Regional Animal Health Research Laboratory, Animal Health Research Institute,Dakhla, El-Wadi El-Gadid,Egypt.
S A M
SAM
Snousi
Department of Parasitology,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Beni-Suef University,Beni-Suef 62511,Egypt.
Kh M
KM
El-Dakhly
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology,College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station,Texas 77843-4467,USA.
P J
PJ
Holman
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology,College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station,Texas 77843-4467,USA.
T M
TM
Craig
Department of Parasitology,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Beni-Suef University,Beni-Suef 62511,Egypt.
S M
SM
Aboelhadid
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D005210:Fasciola hepatica; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*
D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV