Fasciolosis in South America: epidemiology and control challenges

Abstract

Fasciolosis caused by Fasciola hepatica severely affects the efficiency of livestock production systems worldwide. In addition to the economic impact inflicted on livestock farmers, fasciolosis is an emergent zoonosis. This review emphasizes different aspects of the disease in South America. Available data on epidemiology in bovines and ovines in different countries, as well as a growing body of information on other domestic and wildlife definitive hosts, are summarized. The issue of drug resistance that compromises the long-term sustainability of current pharmacological strategies is examined from a regional perspective. Finally, efforts to develop a single-antigen recombinant vaccine in ruminants are reviewed, focusing on the cases of leucine aminopeptidase or thioredoxin glutathione reductase.

Infection by the Helminth Parasite Fasciola hepatica Requires Rapid Regulation of Metabolic, Virulence, and Invasive Factors to Adjust to Its Mammalian Host

“…The helminth parasite, Fasciola hepatica , is an economically important pathogen of livestock worldwide, and an increasingly reported zoonotic pathogen in Asia, Africa and South America ( 1 – 4 ). Infection of the mammalian host by F. hepatica occurs following the ingestion of vegetation contaminated with the encysted stage, the metacercariae.…”

Liver Fluke Infestation in Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

“…Infectious diseases have been serious threat for animal health and productivity in developing countries (Mehmood et al, 2017). Fasciolosis is the parasitic infection typically caused by liver fluke species Fasciola hepatica, which is popularly known as the 'common liver fluke' (Carmona and Tort, 2017). It is a parasitic trematode of the class Trematoda in the phylum Platyhelminthes.…”

Pleiotropic alterations in gene expression in Latin American Fasciola hepatica isolates with different susceptibility to drugs

“…For this reason it has been considered as a re-emerging neglected disease by the WHO [ 3 ]. In the Americas the disease is widespread in livestock and is an important human food-borne infection in the Altiplano region of Bolivia and Peru [ 4 ].…”

“…Although effective treatments are available, drugs are costly and usually do not block reinfection. Liver fluke drug resistance is a preoccupying productive problem in Latin America and a concern in medicine since human cases have emerged [ 4 ]. Triclabendazole (TCBZ) treatment failure has been reported in Brazil [ 5 ], Argentina [ 6 ] and Peru [ 7 – 9 ].…”