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Epidemiological investigation of a severe rumen fluke outbreak on an Irish dairy farm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 November 2017

James O'Shaughnessy
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Andres Garcia-Campos
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Conor G. McAloon
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Seamus Fagan
Affiliation:
Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Coosan, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland
Theo de Waal
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Maire McElroy
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Micheal Casey
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Barbara Good
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Mellows Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway, Ireland
Grace Mulcahy
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
John Fagan
Affiliation:
Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Coosan, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland
Denise Murphy
Affiliation:
Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Coosan, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland
Annetta Zintl*
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
*
Author for correspondence: Annetta Zintl, E-mail: Annetta.zintl@ucd.ie

Abstract

Although the rumen fluke, Calicophoron daubneyi is now very common and widespread throughout Western Europe, reports of clinical cases are still rare. This study explores the epidemiological background to a severe rumen fluke outbreak in 6-month-old heifers on a dairy farm in Ireland. Sequence analysis of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (Cox1) gene of the rumen fluke metacercariae on pasture failed to identify predominant, possibly pathogenic subtypes. However, estimates of metacercarial load indicated that the animals were exposed to a daily dose of about 5334 C. daubneyi metacercariae for a period of 3 weeks resulting in the build-up of very large numbers of immature worms in the small intestine. It is hypothesized that specific environmental conditions may favour this parasite over its competitor, the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, possibly by allowing it to emerge earlier. The possibility that C. daubneyi may be better adapted to the Irish climate than F. hepatica together with the fact that selective treatment against F. hepatica effectively frees the niche for C. daubneyi, may result in the gradual replacement of F. hepatica by C. daubneyi.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

*

Joint first authors

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