Tolerance of liver fluke infection varies between breeds and producers in beef cattle

Hayward, Adam D.; Skuce, Philip; McNeilly, Tom N.

doi:10.1016/j.animal.2020.100126

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…an increased ability to maintain production even in the presence of infection, in SIM cattle [64]. This coincides with observations by Hayward et al [65], who reported variation between breeds in regard to the severity of liver fluke infection, and is well in alignment with extant literature on inherent differences among breeds in their susceptibility to disease [66,67]. The present study hence may well serve as a starting point for digging deeper into his matter in order to understand possibly varying levels of host-parasite interactions in different dairy breeds.…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 92%

Associations of production characteristics with the on-farm presence of Fasciola hepatica in dairy cows vary across production levels and indicate differences between breeds

Oehm,

Zablotski,

Hoedemaker

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Fasciola hepatica is one of the economically most important endoparasites in cattle production. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relevance of production level on the associations of on-farm presence of F. hepatica with farm-level milk yield, milk fat, and milk protein in Holstein cows, a specialised dairy breed, and in Simmental cows, a dual purpose breed. Furthermore, we investigated whether differential associations were present depending on breed. Data from 560 dairy farms across Germany housing 93,672 cows were analysed. The presence of F. hepatica antibodies was determined via ELISA on bulk tank milk samples. Quantile regression was applied to model the median difference in milk yield, milk fat, and milk protein depending on the interaction of breed and fluke occurrence. Whereas a reduction in milk yield (-1,206 kg, p < 0.001), milk fat (-22.9 kg, p = 0.001), and milk protein (-41.6 kg, p <0.001) was evident on F. hepatica positive German Holstein farms, only milk fat (-33.8 kg, p = 0.01) and milk protein (-22.6 kg, p = 0.03) were affected on F. hepatica positive German Simmental farms. Subsequently, production traits were modelled within each of the two breeds for low, medium, and high producing farms in the presence of F. hepatica antibodies and of confounders. On Holstein farms, the presence of F. hepatica seropositivity was associated with lower production, while on German Simmental farms such an association was less evident. This work demonstrates that production level is relevant when assessing the associations between the exposure to F. hepatica with production characteristics. Moreover, both models indicate a breed dependence. This could point towards a differential F. hepatica resilience of specialised dairy breeds in comparison with dual purpose breeds.

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Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 92%

Associations of production characteristics with the on-farm presence of Fasciola hepatica in dairy cows vary across production levels and indicate differences between breeds

Oehm,

Zablotski,

Hoedemaker

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…A similar study conducted in Brazil comparing the weight of cattle following F. hepatica infection showed that weight loss of up to 11% can occur in infected animals compared to uninfected animals [ 92 ]. In agreement with these studies, infection with F. hepatica was shown to reduce weight gain by up to 10 g per day, and delay slaughter by up to 2 weeks, compared to uninfected animals [ 93 ].…”

Section: Pathogenicity Of Fasciola Spp In Their Definitive Hostssupporting

confidence: 59%

Pathogenicity and virulence of the liver flukesFasciola hepaticaandFasciolaGiganticathat cause the zoonosis Fasciolosis

et al. 2021

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Fasciolosis caused by the liver flukes Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica is one of the most important neglected parasitic diseases of humans and animals. The ability of the parasites to infect and multiply in their intermediate snail hosts, and their adaptation to a wide variety of mammalian definitive hosts contribute to their high transmissibility and distribution. Within the mammalian host, the trauma caused by the immature flukes burrowing through the liver parenchyma is associated with most of the pathogenesis. Similarly, the feeding activity and the physical presence of large flukes in the bile ducts can lead to anemia, inflammation, obstruction and cholangitis. The high frequency of non-synonymous polymorphisms found in Fasciola spp. genes allows for adaptation and invasion of a broad range of hosts. This is also facilitated by parasite’s excretory-secretory (ES) molecules that mediate physiological changes that allows their establishment within the host. ES contains cathepsin peptidases that aid parasite invasion by degrading collagen and fibronectin. In the bile ducts, cathepsin-L is critical to hemoglobin digestion during feeding activities. Other molecules (peroxiredoxin, cathepsin-L and Kunitz-type inhibitor) stimulate a strong immune response polarized toward a Treg/Th2 phenotype that favors fluke’s survival. Helminth defense molecule, fatty acid binding proteins, Fasciola -specific glycans and miRNAs modulate host pro-inflammatory responses, while antioxidant scavenger enzymes work in an orchestrated way to deter host oxidant-mediated damage. Combining these strategies Fasciola spp. survive for decades within their mammalian host, where they reproduce and spread to become one of the most widespread zoonotic worm parasites in the world.

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Body condition scores, fluke intensity, liver pathology, and carcass quality of different dairy cattle genotypes infected with Fasciola species at high throughput abattoirs in South Africa

et al. 2022

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Milk is an essential commodity whose demand far exceeds supply. However, dairy animal productivity is constantly hampered by parasitic diseases such as fasciolosis, affecting milk production. Despite the negative impact of liver fluke on milk production, there is little information on liver fluke infection and associated abattoir losses (body weight, condition score, liver pathology, and carcass quality) in culled dairy cattle. This study aimed to determine body condition scores, fluke intensity, liver pathology, and carcass quality of different cattle genotypes infected with Fasciola species at three commercial abattoirs. A longitudinal study was conducted from September 2019 to October 2020 to determine body condition score, liver fluke intensity, liver pathology in 3065 dairy cattle slaughtered in CA1, CA2, and CA3, of the Eastern Cape Province South Africa. Liver fluke intensity significantly increased with cattle age (P < 0.0001). Cattle ≥ 7 years old (59.93 ± 6.42) and those 4 to 6 years old (49.78 ± 9.98) had higher infection than those 2 to 3 years old (27.55 ± 13.68). The liver fluke infection was significantly (P < 0.001) the highest when sampling was conducted in summer, followed by autumn and winter, and least for spring. The differences in carcass weights or body condition scores decreased by 0.99 units (P < 0.0001) or 0.97 units (P < 0.0001) respectively. Therefore, this study suggests that fluke infection could be responsible for considerable economic and production losses mainly due to condemnation and weight loss in dairy cattle. This study recommended a combination of holistic and grazing management to control infection rates in dairy herds.

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Tolerance of liver fluke infection varies between breeds and producers in beef cattle

Cited by 8 publications

References 40 publications

Associations of production characteristics with the on-farm presence of Fasciola hepatica in dairy cows vary across production levels and indicate differences between breeds

Associations of production characteristics with the on-farm presence of Fasciola hepatica in dairy cows vary across production levels and indicate differences between breeds

Pathogenicity and virulence of the liver flukesFasciola hepaticaandFasciolaGiganticathat cause the zoonosis Fasciolosis

Body condition scores, fluke intensity, liver pathology, and carcass quality of different dairy cattle genotypes infected with Fasciola species at high throughput abattoirs in South Africa

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