Assessment of Fasciola and Paramphistomes co-infection in large ruminants through faecal egg counts around Taiping, Malaysia

@#Emerging cases of Fasciola and Paramphistomes co-infection have been reported, especially in tropical regions. Thisis due to Fasciola and Paramphistomes sharing biological factors which influence the pattern of transmission, especially in faecal egg shedding due to interaction and competition in the definitive host. Most reports surveyed the occurrence of fasciolosis in ruminants with a lack of observation of faecal egg distribution. Therefore, present study is aimed to assess the distribution of Fasciola and Paramphistomes faecal egg count (fec) in co-infected large ruminants in Larut, Matang, and Selama areas (Taiping). A total of 371 faecal samples were collected at random from 23 ruminant herds. Flukefinder® sedimentation was used to quantify the Fasciola and Paramphistomes eggs. Descriptive analyses were performed to determine the prevalence of co-infections, and Spearman correlation analysis was used to correlate the fec. Overall, the prevalence of Fasciola and Paramphistomes co-infection was 23.7% (n=89/371) in Taiping. Prevalence of paramphistomosis was always higher than fasciolosis in overall and single infection, with 46.9% (n=174/371) and 22.9% (n=85/371) compared to 36.9% (n=137/371) and 12.9% (n=48/371) respectively. Egg per gram (epg) of both parasites were positively skewed with a median of 1.5 epg in fasciolosis and 10.5 epg in paramphistomosis. Spearman correlation analysis of the epg in co-infected bovine was found to have a moderately positive correlation with rs=0.39 (p-value<0.01). The recent study observed a moderate prevalence of Fasciola and Paramphistomes coinfection in a large ruminant population from Taiping, with the prevalence of paramphistomosis being higher than fasciolosis. Hence, this suggests that infection with one of these parasites increases the chance of infection with another. There is a need to integrate fec in parasite surveillance to monitor the trend of parasite transmission. Findings in the present study could tailor control strategies, especially for fasciolosis to limit the economic loss and prevent zoonotic transmission.

Cotylophoron paaamensis (digenea: paramphistomiae) en bovinos del meta y del gguaviare, Colombia / Cotylophoron panamensis (Digenea: Paramphistomidae) in Cattle from Meta and Guaviare, Colombia

Entre los Paramphistomidae (Trematoda: Digenea) hay especies que parasitan el sistema digestivo de rumiantes disminuyendo su producción láctea y cárnica. En Colombia se ha registrado la paramphistomosis bovina en: 1) la región lechera altoandina de Antioquia donde se describe a Cotylophoron cotylophorum como el agente causal; y 2) en bovinos de producción cárnica de las Sabanas en el cálido piedemonte llanero y en los Llanos Orientales nacionales, donde se señala a varias especies de paramfistómidos, de los cuales falta la descripción que respalde el estatus taxonómico específico asignado en las publicaciones. Por lo tanto, el hallazgo de digeneos en bovinos sacrificados en el beneficiadero de Guamal, Meta, (Colombia) constituyó una oportunidad para iniciar con la descripción de los Paramphistomidae de esta región del país. Entre 2006 y 2008 se extrajeron 715 trematodos adultos del rumen de 32 bovinos provenientes de los departamentos del Meta y del Guaviare. El análisis morfológico muestra las siguientes características de la familia Paramphistomidae: el canal de Laurer atraviesa la vesícula excretora y se abre debajo del poro excretor; acetábulo pequeño del tipo Cotylophoron, la faringe tipo Calicophoron; ventosa genital sin esfínter; ausencia de bulbo esofágico y las vitelarias laterales y dorsales confluyendo en el extremo posterior del cuerpo, debajo del acetábulo, como en Cotylophoron panamensis. Con este estudio se ratifica la paramfistomosis bovina en el departamento del Meta y se registra por primera vez a Cotylophoron panamensis en bovinos del departamento del Guaviare, ampliando su rango de distribución geográfica en Colombia.

Some species of Paramphistomidae (Trematoda: Digenea) that parasitize the digestive system of ruminants can cause decreases in milk and meat production. In Colombia, paramphistomosis cattle have been recorded from 1) dairy farms at high altitudes in the mountains of Antioquia (northwestern Colombia) where Cotylophoron cotylophorum was described as the causative agent; and 2) from lowland savannas in eastern Colombia, which has been attributed to several species of Paramphistomidae but with records remaining to be confirmed. Therefore, the discovery of digenea of cattle slaughtered in Guamal, Meta (eastern Colombia), was an opportunity to start with the description of the Paramphistomidae in this region. Between 2006 and 2008, we sampled 715 adult flukes from the rumen of 32 cattle from the departments of Meta and Guaviare. The morphological analysis shows that the adult has the following features typical of the family Paramphistomidae: Laurers canal crossing the excretory vesicle and opening posteriorly to the excretory pore; acetabulum small as in the genus Cotylophoron; pharynx as in Calicophoron; genital sucker without sphincter; absence of esophageal bulb and the lateral and dorsal vitellaria converging posteriorly in the body, below the acetabulum, as in C. panamensis. This study confirms the presence of paramfistomosis in Meta and it is the first report of Cotylophoron panamensis in cattle from the department of Guaviare, therefore expanding its geographic range in Colombia.