Bulk tank milk ELISA to detect IgG1 prevalence and clustering to determine spatial distribution and risk factors of Fasciola hepatica-infected herds in Mexico

Abstract

Fasciola hepatica is a helminth parasite that causes huge economic losses to the livestock industry worldwide. Fasciolosis is an emerging foodborne zoonotic disease that affects both humans and grazing animals. This study investigated the associations between climatic/environmental factors (derived from satellite data) and management factors affecting the spatial distribution of this liver fluke in cattle herds across different climate zones in three Mexican states. A bulk-tank milk (BTM) IgG1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was used to detect F. hepatica infection levels of 717 cattle herds between January and April 2015. Management data were collected from the farms by questionnaire. The parasite's overall herd prevalence and mean optical density ratio (ODR) were 62.76% and 0.67, respectively. The presence of clustered F. hepatica infections was studied using the spatial scan statistic. Three marked clusters in the spatial distribution of the parasite were observed. Logistic regression was used to test three models of potential statistical association from the ELISA results using climatic, environmental and management variables. The final model based on climatic/environmental and management variables included the following factors: rainfall, elevation, proportion of grazed grass in the diet, contact with other herds, herd size, parasite control use and education level as significant predictors. Geostatistical kriging was applied to generate a risk map for the presence of parasites in dairy herds in Mexico. In conclusion, the spatial distribution of F. hepatica in Mexican cattle herds is influenced by multifactorial effects and should be considered in developing regionally adapted control measures.

Towards the comprehension of fasciolosis (re-)emergence: an integrative overview

“…Traditionally, it has been a serious veterinary health concern in areas with diverse socio-economic scenarios and epidemiological contexts such as Europe (Beesley et al ., 2018), East Africa (Gryseels, 1988), South Asia (Gupta and Singh, 2002) and the Bolivian Altiplano (Ueno et al ., 1975). Moreover, increasing trends in the prevalence and/or spreading of animal fasciolosis are presumed at a global scale; in the Americas and the Caribbean (Rojas et al ., 2010; Molento et al ., 2018; Villa-Mancera and Reynoso-Palomar, 2019), in Europe (Pritchard et al ., 2005; Caminade et al ., 2015), in Africa (Jajaa et al ., 2017), in Asia (Nguyen et al ., 2017; Meshgi et al ., 2019) and in Australia and Oceania (Haydock et al ., 2016; Kelley et al ., 2020).…”

“…Aside from livestock movements, other factors and management activities are highlighted as significant risk-increasing factors: (i) using unsafe water resources and prolonged grazing (for review, see Sabourin et al ., 2018); (ii) feeding on wetland pastures vs feeding on forage/dry-land crop residues (Suon et al ., 2006; Khan et al ., 2009; Takeuchi-Storm et al ., 2017); (iii) increased proportion of grazed grass and length of grazing season (Bennema et al ., 2011); (iv) mixed farming of small and large ruminants; and (v) the use of stagnant pond bathing and river/canal bathing vs river/tap water bathing (Khan et al ., 2009). In some cases, lower levels of literacy of farmers have been associated with higher infection risk, as proper knowledge and comprehension of control strategies in relation to the parasite cycle are essential for decreasing transmission in high-risk areas (Villa-Mancera and Reynoso-Palomar, 2019). Current trends have also led to an increase and expansion of organic ruminant production.…”

“…In poor smallholder livestock communities, and particularly in developing countries, resources constrain, poor living conditions and low literacy level hinder the implementation of proper management practices and educational campaigns to increase awareness of food and water security as well as the risks of fasciolosis (Gray et al ., 2008; Robinson and Dalton, 2009; Villa-Mancera and Reynoso-Palomar, 2019). Even if treatment-based interventions are applied and are proved effective (e.g.…”

“…Zumaquero-Ríos et al ., 2013; Alba et al ., 2016). Furthermore, other types of samples beyond blood, stool (definitive host) and snails (intermediate host) have been added to the panel of possibilities for active screening; from meat juice and bulk milk for serological assessment in livestock (Charlier et al ., 2009; Villa-Mancera and Reynoso-Palomar, 2019) to water for environmental DNA detection of the parasite and its snail hosts (Jones et al ., 2018; Davis et al ., 2020).…”

Prevalence and seasonal variation of Fasciola hepatica in slaughtered cattle: the role of climate and environmental factors in Mexico

“…In Mexico, several recent studies using bulk-tank milk enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) in cattle herds have indicated that the F . hepatica prevalence in three climate regions ranged from 62.76% to 63.56% (Villa-Mancera & Reynoso-Palomar, 2019a, b). A high prevalence of parasite infection in cattle has been found in north-west Mexico using the indirect ELISA test (24.4%) and sedimentation faecal examination (11.4%) (Munguía-Xóchihua et al ., 2007).…”