Natural Infection by Fasciola hepatica in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) from NW Spain: The Usefulness of Necropsy, Coprology, and Three Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays for the Diagnosis
[EN] The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of Fasciola hepatica in Cervus elaphus kept in natural conditions in the Riaño Regional Hunting Reserve, north-west of Spain, where several species of domestic and wild animals coexist. One hundred red deer were examined and classi...
| Autores: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de León |
| Repositorio: | BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:buleria_____::875431a9b823027eef1e9e878707a15f |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10612/28143 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Sanidad animal Veterinaria Red deer Fasciola hepatica Natural infection Histopathological lesions Immunodiagnostic Northwest Spain 3109 Ciencias Veterinarias 3202 Epidemiología |
| Sumario: | [EN] The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of Fasciola hepatica in Cervus elaphus kept in natural conditions in the Riaño Regional Hunting Reserve, north-west of Spain, where several species of domestic and wild animals coexist. One hundred red deer were examined and classified according to age, sex, and sampling season. After the necropsy of the animals, the liver was removed and inspected to obtain the adult parasites of F. hepatica. Faecal samples were collected and processed using the coprological sedimentation technique. The prevalence of this trematode by necropsy was 12%, with a low number of specimens per animal ((Formula presented.) = 2.7 ± 1.5; range 1–6). The young animals and the males had a higher prevalence than the adults and the females, finding statistically significant differences only according to the host age. Significant variations were also observed when considering the seasons of the year, with the highest number of infected animals in spring. The histopathological study revealed the presence of lesions compatible with a chronic fasciolosis similar to that found in domestic animals. The shedding of F. hepatica eggs was quite low in terms of prevalence (6%) and mean intensity of infection ((Formula presented.) = 27.3 ± 20.6, range 4–60 epg), being in young animals, in males, and in spring, where the greatest excretion of eggs was observed. These results suggest that the deer are suitable definitive hosts for F. hepatica in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, but they are unusual hosts. The serum samples were analysed using a native excretory/secretory antigen (FhES) and a 2.9 kDa recombinant protein (FhrAPS) used for diagnosis of early and current fasciolosis in livestock. A commercial kit for serodiagnosis of F. hepatica in sheep and cattle, based on a monoclonal antibody (BIO K 211), was also evaluated in red deer. The seroprevalence of seropositivity of F. hepatica by FhES-ELISA was 32%, by FhrAPS-ELISA 13%, and by BIO K 211, 9%. In the three serological tests, the seroprevalence obtained was higher in adult animals, in males, and in spring. In the three serological tests used to understand the epidemiology of F. hepatica in red deer, we have observed that the sensitivity was low, perhaps due to the use of an anti-bovine IgG1 as a conjugate, so in future immunodiagnostic tests, it would be more desirable to obtain an anti-deer IgG, probably achieving better results. Due to these results, it is essential to investigate other serological or molecular tests that allow us to know the real importance of F. hepatica in deer and other wild animals. The role of deer as a reservoir of this trematode does not appear to be very important |
|---|