[Bionomy, occurrence and importance of the giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna), an important parasite of free-living ruminants]. / Bionómia, výskyt a význam cicavice obrovskej (Fascioloides magna), závazného parazita vol'ne zijúcich prezúvavcov.

The paper summarizes the most important knowledge of the giant liver fluke of ruminants, Fascioloides magna, with respect to its occurrence throughout the Northern Hemisphere, its fenotypic and genetic discriminative characteristics, its pathogenicity in various obligatory and facultative hosts and possible prophylaxis and medical control. The paper emphasizes the fact that new natural foci with heavy F. magna infections of deer regularly occur in Europe.

Use of albendazole in feed to control Fascioloides magna infections in captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Thirty-six adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) naturally infected with Fascioloides magna were captured and randomly assigned to four groups. Each group was fed pelleted feed coated with albendazole for each of seven consecutive days to deliver the drug at a dose rate of approximately 0.0, 5.0, 8.5, or 16.5 mg/kg bodyweight/day. At 7 wk posttreatment, each animal was euthanized and necropsied. Effects of albendazole treatment included significant reduction (P less than 0.05) in parasite egg count per gram of feces and increase in serum albumin concentration (P less than 0.05). Smaller parasites or remains of dead parasites were seen at the end of migratory tracks in the treated groups. Efficacy of the drug was 82 to 84%.

Integrated control of Fascioloides magna infection in northern Italy.

The following study records ten years' experience in the control of Fascioloides magna infection in a fenced area grazed by an overdense red deer population together with free-ranging cattle. During the winter 1977/78 mortality due to a "fascioloidosis-malnutrition syndrome" reduced the deer stock almost by half. Control measures were aimed at combatting the fluke in the wild definitive host by the administration of medicated pellets. Four flukicides were used over the years: rafoxanide, diamphenetide, oxyclozanide and triclabendazole. Efforts were also made to control the number of deer and to improve their condition by artificial feeding during the winter months. Intervention on the habitat of the intermediate hosts of F. magna were purposely avoided. The efficacy of this programme was evaluated by both copromicroscopic examinations and fluke counts from the livers of the wild and domestic macromammals living in the study area. Some yield parameters of the deer population were also taken into account. Results demonstrate that F. magna infection, though a hazard for cattle productivity, remained a deer problem when pharmacological prophylaxis was regularly applied.

[The prevention and therapy of fascioloidiasis using bithionol sulfoxide]. / Prevence a terapie fascioloidózy skotu bithionolsulfoxidem.

The elimination of the sources of invasion, i. e. hay and forage coming from the infested biotopes, combined with the administration of bithionol sulphoxide, resulted in a reduction of the invasion of cattle by Fascioloides magna from 21.1 to 3.2% within two years. The Czechoslovak-produced bithionol sulphoxide, administered at a rate of 40 to 50 mg per kg body weight as medicated feed, showed 100% effectiveness. At doses higher than 30 mg per kg body weight, the protective period should be prolonged to three or four weeks.