INTRODUCTION

Recent studies have considered that fasciolosis is an emerging widespread zoonosis, which is mostly found in ruminant Fasciola hepatica-endemic areas (1, 2). Although hard to quantify, every year, over 600 million domestic ruminants worldwide are infected, leading to incalculable economic losses in agriculture (3).

Fasciola hepatica is a globally-important trematode, causing diseases in multiple mammal species. Fasciolosis has been reported to cause $ 23£ million in economic losses to the livestock raising industry in the United Kingdom alone, which is still an estimated figure. The actual effects on production are not well defined yet; the losses are not only related to liver condemnation in slaughterhouses, but also to reduced daily weight gain due to poor food conversion, and drops in milk and wool production by the affected animals (4).

Fasciola hepatica infections are considered one of the most significant causes leading to low milk production and reduced fertility rates in livestock, with ensuing negative impacts on animals, which are often difficult to quantify (5).

This parasitosis is stimulated by conditions like the presence of susceptible animals, occurrence of infection in any climatic conditions (mostly in the rainy season), water containing metacercariae, inappropriate methods to dispose of feces, the existence of mollusks as intermediary hosts, and occasional inappropriate agricultural and zootechnical practices (6).

A study conducted in the province of Camagüey (6) concluded that the prevalence of F. hepatica varied from year to year and in municipalities, due to unstable climatic factors, such as the average precipitation values, particularly.

The aim of this paper was to determine the economic losses stemming from condemnation of affected livers and the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica in slaughtered cattle in provinces Camagüey and Holguín, Cuba.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Animals and location. The data of slaughtered cattle recorded between January 2012 and December 2018 at Holguin’s Felipe Fuentes (167.738 cases), and Camagüey’s Cesar Escalante (195.315 cases) facilities in Cuba, were reviewed.

Overview. The monthly data of animals infected by F. hepatica resulting from the anatomo-pathological examination performed at the slaughterhouses were reviewed. The average weight and economic value of each condemned liver was 4 kg (7) and $ 0.90 USD/kg (the company’s official price), respectively. The losses (condemned livers) were estimated with the following equation:

TEL= (a×4kg)×0.9USD

Where:

TEL=Total economic losses (kg)

a=Total condemned livers (units)

The prevalence of F. hepatica was calculated as follows,

Prevalence=(affected animals/slaughtered animals) *100

Statistical analysis. Analyses for the comparison of proportions were made to animals affected by F. hepatica, whereas the economic losses caused by liver condemnation were analyzed by Chi-square to determine the existence of significant differences among the proportions. Analysis of means (ANOM) was made to determine the significantly different proportions within the general average. A 95% confidence level interval was applied. Statgraphics Centurion XVI, version 16.1.18 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The greatest losses associated to liver condemnation occurred in 2015, 2017, and 2018 (Holguin), and in 2013, 2015, and 2016 (Camagüey). The highest prevalence values in Holguin were observed in 2015 and 2017, whereas the highest values in Camagüey occurred in 2012 and 2013 (Table 1).

The highest prevalence values along the evaluation period in Holguin took place in August, September, and October; whereas the highest values for Camagüey were observed in March, April, and May. Meanwhile, the greatest economic losses due to liver condemnation were produced in October, November, and December in Holguin, and in February and March in Camagüey (Table 2).

Excluding July, the affected animals showed significant differences (p<0.001) between slaughterhouses throughout the year (Table 3). Meanwhile, the total losses related to affected liver condemnation underwent significant differences (p<0.001) in all the months during the evaluation period (Table 4).

DISCUSSION

Economically, fascioliasis is probably the most prominent helminth infection. It has been reported to be the cause of major economic losses in many parts of the world due to its incidence in production animals, like cattle, sheep, goats, and buffaloes, totaling an estimated three billion US dollars a year, according to several authors (8,9,10).

Three slaughterhouses in Costa Rica reported the prevalence (2.33 and 2.55%) of Fasciola hepatica and economic losses ($67.438 USD) associated to liver condemnation. These reports emphasize on the negative economic impact of the trematode nationally, as well as the usefulness of damaged viscera condemnation and recording, as diagnostic tools for epidemiological surveillance to determine the state of this parasitosis (3).

A ten-year research done in Nigeria showed prevalence in municipal slaughterhouses in Minna (32.29%), Suleja (26.82%), Bida (30.47%), Kontagora (35.42%), and New-Bussa (36.72%), resulting in a general prevalence of 32.34% of animals affected by Fasciola hepatica. The economic losses caused by liver condemnation totaled $ 766.896 USD (11).

The prevalence of Fasciola Hepatica in slaughtered cattle has also been reported in Iran (1.1-4.8%), Iraq (3.3%), Pakistan (25.5%), Brazil (10.3%), Switzerland (10.9%), Scotland (5.0-8.5%), England and Wales (6.5%), Kenia (3.5-26.0%), Nigeria (7.0%) Saudi Arabia (9%), Zambia (60.9%), Ethiopia (24.3-90.7%) (12) and Switzerland (11%) (13). The high variation in the prevalence of bovine Fasciolosis in different countries and regions depends on factors like climatic conditions, cattle age and sex, and level of intermediary host contamination in the pasture (12).

A four-year study conducted in a Cuban company estimated economic losses of $16.121 USD derived from condemnation of livers affected by Fasciola hepatica, plus $316.078 and $170.664 USD reported as losses due to beef that was not produced, and $14.686 USD for anthelmintic drug use, leading to a total $517.550 USD in estimated losses (10).

The economic losses produced in the central provinces of Cuba (Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, and Sancti Spiritus) due to liver condemnation were considerable ($ 436.656 USD), which represented 18.0% of 273.450 animals slaughtered (7). Furthermore, a four-year study, (14) estimated that fascioliasis affected one out of three slaughtered cattle heads, causing $16.121 USD in losses due to liver condemnation, apart from the $316.078 and $170.664 USD reported for beef that was not produced, respectively.

These differences in annual prevalence may be attributed to variations in the weather conditions, since larval stage development and survival of F. hepatica in the grass are influenced by precipitations, relative humidity, and temperature (15, 16); hence, it is more commonly found on rainy locations, and poorly draining soils with high levels of water retention. These conditions are favorable for survival and multiplication of the intermediary hosts (Galba cubensis and Pseudosuccinea columella) and transmission of the parasite (16,17,18,19).

The economic losses derived from condemnation of livers affected by F hepatica are significant; they may vary in months or years and are dependent on the interaction of physiopathological and environmental aspects of the disease (climatic and geographical factors), which can determine the presence of intermediary hosts and the parasite in the environment (6).

Climate influences the free-living stages of the parasite and its intermediary host (G. cubensis), with precipitation-temperature interactions that have a major effect on the efficacy of transmission (20). The prevalence and economic impact of fasciolosis are linked to climatic and animal nutritional factors, which favor the persistence of the biological cycle of the helminth (6).

In conclusion, the highest economic losses and prevalence due to condemnation of livers affected by F. hepatica were observed in the province of Camagüey, which might be linked to different climatic conditions. Hence, evaluation of intermediate host dynamics and larval stages of this trematode is recommended for the two provinces studied.

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Información adicional

How to cite (Vancouver).: Palacio CD, Bertot VJ, Beltrao MM, Vázquez GA, Ortíz VR, Fortune NC. Economic losses and prevalence of Fasciola hepatica in cattle slaughtered in two Cuban provinces. Rev MVZ Cordoba. 2020; 25(1):e1610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21897/rmvz.1610