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Background Opisthorchis felineus is a feline pathogen with zoonotic potential that can be a causative agent of human opisthorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma. In Europe, O. felineus is particularly endemic in Eastern European countries, while this parasite has also been sporadically detected in Germany, Italy and northern Poland. Parts of Asia, such as Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, are also affected. Methods A 7-year-old female neutered European Shorthair cat, without any traveling history, presented in May 2023 with weight loss, anorexia and vomiting. Results The cat showed increased liver enzyme activities, hyperbilirubinemia and hyperammonemia consistent with the suspected diagnosis of cholangitis with consecutive hepatoencephalopathy. Eggs of O.   felineus were detected by routine cytological examination of bile smears and PCR confirmed O. felineus . Conclusions This is the first report of autochthonous O. felineus infection in Austria. Graphical Abstract

Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a trematode that infects both domestic and wild animals, with transmission potentially occurring at the wildlife-domestic interface. This study aims to investigate liver fluke infection in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and its epidemiological role in central Italy, where the species coexists with domestic ruminants. A total of 265 roe deer livers were examined between 2021 and 2022 and animal data such as collection area, sex, age class, and seasonality were recorded. The livers were macroscopically examined to determine a Liver Lesion Score, and adult parasites were collected and counted. Overall, 52 of the 265 animals (19.6%) were infected by D. dendriticum flukes, identified through morphological and molecular methods. The total mean intensity of infection was 17.1 flukes per animal (ranging from 1 to 354). This study reports, for the first time, the presence of D. dendriticum in roe deer in Italy. The lower intensity of infection observed in roe deer compared to domestic animals in the literature may be related to the different dietary habits of these species. However, further studies are recommended to access (i) the potential role of roe deer as an animal in “refugia” and (ii) whether interactions between wild and domestic animals contribute to anthelmintic resistance in the latter.

Background Hepatic clonorchiasis is one of the most prevalent foodborne parasitic diseases in China and is often overlooked because the initial symptoms are not obvious. In this study, a multivariate model for the early prediction of disease onset using laboratory test data from liver-fluke-infected patients was developed and validated. Methods Laboratory data from 147 liver-fluke-infected patients and 151 healthy control subjects were collected. Univariate logistic regression, Spearman correlation analysis, and collinearity diagnosis were used to screen for independent factors. A multivariate model was then constructed using the backward likelihood ratio method. For external validation, an independent patient cohort from another hospital was analyzed. The discriminative performance of the combined model was compared with that of previously identified biomarkers (eosinophil count and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase). Results A 12-indicator prediction model for liver fluke infection was developed using traditional logistic regression (82.31% sensitivity and 88.08% specificity). The receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analyses revealed that the model exhibited excellent discriminative ability (area under the curve [AUC]: training = 0.928, validation = 0.808), goodness of fit, and clinical practicability. The combined model showed superior discrimination compared with individual biomarkers, including eosinophil count (AUC = 0.577) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (AUC = 0.620). Conclusions This study developed an early risk prediction model for liver fluke infection using routine laboratory test data. Compared with previously reported biomarkers, the model demonstrated superior diagnostic performance and showed potential as a clinical tool for identifying early stage liver fluke infection in patients. Graphical Abstract

BackgroundReports of disease and production losses associated with Fasciola hepatica, the common liver fluke, have increased in recent years. Resistance to triclabendazole, one of the principal veterinary medicines used to prevent losses, has been reported and is now considered widespread in fluke endemic regions of the UK.MethodsThirteen farmers participated in a trial in 2013 and the triclabendazole resistance status was obtained for each farm. Based on these results, a knowledge exchange programme on fluke control was delivered to nearly 100 farmers in the region. In this follow-up study, 11 farmers involved in the original trial, participated in semistructured in-depth qualitative interviews in July 2017.ResultsOverall, participants identified benefits from participating in the 2013 trial, gaining information about triclabendazole resistance on their farms and knowledge about fluke control. The information on their farm’s resistance status was a driver for changing their liver fluke control programmes. Factors such as habitual and repetitive behaviours, grazing restrictions due to agri-environmental schemes, economic pressures and climate change were identified that could impede or prevent the adoption of new control strategies.ConclusionsThe study highlights the significance of resistance to triclabendazole and the impact of knowledge exchange programmes in changing liver fluke control practices.

Abstract The first detection of Fascioloides (F.) magna in northeastern Bavaria in 2011 was presumably correlated to natural migration movements of free ranging wild ruminants originating from the neighboring Czech Republic, where high infection rates have been reported frequently. To gain more data on the continuing spreading and current occurrence of the giant liver fluke in surrounding regions, 700 livers of cloven-hoofed game originating from eleven different northeastern Bavarian counties were investigated for the presence of F. magna and accompanying liver parasites in the hunting season 2019–2020. Macroscopically altered liver tissue was further investigated by pathohistological and parasitological examination. F. magna was detected in 5.9% (38/640) of livers from red deer (0.7% < 1 year, 9.8% > 1 year; p < 0.05) whereas none of the investigated livers of wild boar, roe, and fallow deer was infected (n=60). Mild pathological alterations of the liver tissue were documented in 15, moderate in 14, and major in 9 of all F. magna-positive cases. Histologically, the fluke-specific pigment haematin, large trematode eggs, and periportal fibrosis were detected in the liver tissue of infected animals. In 9% of all investigated livers, parasitic stages of other parasites, i.e., Dicrocoelium dendriticum (6.0%), Fasciola hepatica (0.3%), Taenia spp. (1.7%), and Echinococcus multilocularis (1.0%), were found. According to the results of this study, F. magna is not restricted to formerly known affected regions of Upper Franconia, but is also present in the military training ground Grafenwöhr, Upper Palatinate, and the Bavarian Forest National Park, Lower Bavaria, with estimated prevalences of 3.6 and 16.4%, respectively, and thus seems to spread in suitable habitats in northeastern Bavaria.

Background The present study aimed to identify the national prevalence of Fasciola hepatica in Irish sheep and to conduct a risk analysis assessment based on management and treatment practices in participating flocks. Also, co-infection with rumen fluke was quantified and its association with liver fluke and management practices was assessed. Methods A total of 305 sheep flocks were selected ensuring even national representation of the sheep population. Participating farms were asked to complete a survey questionnaire on farm management practices and submit faecal samples during the winter of 2014–2015. Pooled faecal samples were analysed for the presence of F. hepatica and co-infection with rumen fluke. Apparent and true prevalence were calculated, additionally, the rate of co-infection with rumen fluke was also obtained. Correlation and regression analyses were used for assessing associations between management practices, liver fluke infection and co-infection with rumen fluke. Results The national true prevalence of F. hepatica was 50.4% ( n  = 305). Regional prevalence varied from 41% in the east to 52% in the south. Co-infection with rumen fluke was observed in 40% of the studied population and correlated with increased F. hepatica egg counts (OR = 2.9; P  ≤ 0.001). Predominant breeds were Suffolk, Texel and Horned Mountain breeds. Beef cattle were the most frequent type of other livestock present on farms and mixed species grazing was frequently reported (73%). More than half of the flocks reported a mid-to-late lambing period (March-April). Use of mountain land for grazing was of 32%. Flukicides were most commonly used twice over the autumn-winter period. Regression analyses highlighted significant association of F. hepatica status, with the presence of other livestock on farm, frequency of flukicides used during the winter and clinical presentation of liver fluke. A significant increase in eggs per gram of faeces was observed in Charollais sheep in comparison with all other breeds. Co-infection with F. hepatica and Calicophoron daubneyi was also significantly associated with the presence of other livestock on the farm, type of flukicide used and clinical fasciolosis. Conclusions The present study provides up-to-date information on the prevalence of F. hepatica in Irish sheep and adds insight to the epidemiology of the disease. These findings will be useful for designing new holistic control measures for F. hepatica infection.

Background Fasciolosis is a parasitic infection caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica that can have a major economic impact on livestock industry. The prevalence of the disease has recently been increasing in many North European countries. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibody against F. hepatica in Finnish cattle herds and sheep flocks during 2019 by using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Randomly selected bulk tank milk samples were obtained from 660 dairy herds. Blood samples were collected at slaughterhouses from 1944 suckler cows from 309 herds and from 1120 sheep from 95 flocks. Results Antibodies against F. hepatica were found in 0.45% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.15–1.33) of the dairy herds and 0.97% (95% CI: 0.33–2.82) of the suckler cow herds. The seropositive herds were located in eastern and central Finland. None of the sampled sheep flocks tested had antibodies against F. hepatica (95% CI: 0–3.89). The results of the assays were compared with meat inspection data received from the slaughterhouses. All positive herds also had liver condemnations due to F. hepatica based on the meat inspection reports. Conclusions Compared to other North European countries, the prevalence of fasciolosis in Finland can be considered low, and according to meat inspection reports, there are no indications of the prevalence increasing in Finland.

Background: Liver fluke disease caused by Opisthorchis viverrini remains a major public health problem with its crucial risk factors caused by some individual habits or false beliefs among the people in northeastern Thailand concerning the consumption of raw fish meat dishes. Objectives: This study explores the predictive risk factors for the infection of liver fluke disease. Methods: The sample consisted of 400 people aged 30 years and above in Thanya sub-district, Kamalasai district, Kalasin province. A cross-sectional analytic study, using the χ2 test, odds ratio and 95% confidence interval, was used to find the influence of each variable, along with the use of multiple logistic regression (p = 0.05). A questionnaire form was used as the research instrument. Results: Factors found in the results are as follows: households with a cat were 7.00 times more at risk than households without a cat; eating raw fish dishes prepared by themselves increases the risk of infection by 2.58 times; eating raw fish dishes prepared by family members increases the risk by 4.74 times; and raw fish dishes bought from a community market increases the risk by 2.33 times. Conclusion: A campaign should be launched to educate people not to eat raw or undercooked fish dishes, but to fully cook fish dishes before eating, as the food is still delicious, but also safe, healthy, and free from liver fluke infection.

The liver fluke disease caused by Clonorchis sinensis is one of the most serious food-borne parasitic diseases in China. Many freshwater fish and shrimps can be infected with C. sinensis metacercariae as the second intermediate hosts in endemic regions. Owing to the lack of infected humans and the good administration of pet dogs and cats in cities of non-endemic regions, few fish are expected to be infected with C. sinensis metacercariae in urban lakes. To determine the infection of C. sinensis metacercariae in freshwater fish and shrimps in urban lakes, a total of 18 fish species and one shrimp species were investigated in the East Lake of Wuhan City. Metacercariae were isolated by artificial digestive juice and identified using morphology and rDNA-ITS2 sequences. Five species of fish, Pseudorasbora parva, Ctenogobius giurinus, Squalidus argentatus, Hemiculter leuciclus, and Rhodeus spp., were infected with C. sinensis metacercariae. The overall prevalence of C. sinensis was 32.5%. The highest prevalence was found in P. parva with 57.9%, while S. argentatus exhibited the highest mean abundance (13.9). Apart from the C. sinensis metacercariae, four species of other trematode metacercariae were also identified across twelve fish species in total. Owing to the consumption of undercooked fish and feeding cats with small fish caught by anglers, there is a potential risk that the small fish infected with C. sinensis metacercariae may act as an infection source to spread liver fluke. Given the complete life cycle of C. sinensis, stray cats and rats were inferred to act as the important final hosts of C. sinensis in urban lakes in non-endemic areas.

Background Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis , remains a significant problem for livestock industries in many countries worldwide including Northern Ireland, where a test and slaughter regime has utilised the Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin (SICCT) test since 1959. We investigated the variation in post-mortem confirmation based on bTB visible lesion (VL) presence during herd breakdowns using two model suites. We investigated animal-level characteristics, while controlling for herd-level factors and clustering. We were interested in potential impacts of concurrent infection, and therefore we assessed whether animals with evidence of liver fluke infection ( Fasciola hepatica ; post-mortem inspection), M. avium reactors (animals with negative M. bovis-avium ( b-a ) tuberculin reactions) or Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV; RT-PCR tested) were associated with bTB confirmation. Results The dataset included 6242 animals removed during the 14 month study period (2013–2015). bTB-VL presence was significantly increased in animals with greater b-a reaction size at the disclosing SICCT test (e.g. b-a  = 5-9 mm vs. b-a =  0 mm, adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 14.57; p  < 0.001). M. avium reactor animals ( b-a  < 0) were also significantly more likely to disclose VL than non-reactor animals ( b-a =  0; aOR: 2.29; p  = 0.023). Animals had a greater probability of exhibiting lesions with the increasing number of herds it had resided within (movement; log-herds: aOR: 2.27–2.42; p  < 0.001), if it had an inconclusive penultimate test result (aOR: 2.84–3.89; p  < 0.001), and with increasing time between tests (log-time; aOR: 1.23; p  = 0.003). Animals were less likely to have VL if they were a dairy breed (aOR: 0.79; p  = 0.015) or in an older age-class (e.g. age-quartile 2 vs. 4; aOR: 0.65; p  < 0.001). Liver fluke or BVDV variables were not retained in either multivariable model as they were non-significantly associated with bTB-VL status ( p  > 0.1). Conclusions Our results suggest that neither co-infection of liver fluke nor BVDV had a significant effect on the presence of VLs in this high-risk cohort. M. avium tuberculin reactors had a significantly increased risk of disclosing with a bTB lesion, which could be related to the impact of co-infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) affecting the performance of the SICCT however further research in this area is required. Movements, test history, breed and age were important factors influencing confirmation in high-risk animals.