Abstract:
Fascioliasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Fasciola species, majorly F. hepatica and F. gigantica. A cross sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of bovine fascioliasis in Agago North County and identify the Fasciola species responsible for the disease in the area. The study applied a qualitative approach using coprological analysis to derive prevalence data. Species identification of the liver flukes was done basing on the morphology and standardised morphometric measurements i.e., body length (BL), body width (BW), cone length (CL), and cone width (CW) of flukes. According to morphology, fluke isolates were affiliated to two groups; Fasciola hepatica-like and F. gigantica-like. The current study found out the prevalence of the disease in the area to be 37.9%. Parabongo Sub- County had the highest prevalence and Kalongo Town Council had the lowest. There were significant differences in BL, BW and CL between the two groups of flukes. The F. gigantica-like isolates had significantly higher BL (p<0.001) at 28.70±7.19mm than the F. hepatica-like isolates (15.96±5.35mm). The F. hepatica-like group had a significantly wider BW (8.59±0.77mm, p<0.001) than the F. gigantica- like isolates (6.47±1.09mm). Mean CL was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the F. gigantica-like isolates (3.90±0.84mm) than F. hepatica-like isolates (2.35±0.43mm). CW showed no significant difference (p = 0.313) between the two groups of fluke isolates. The F. hepatica-like isolates had a mean CW of 1.69±0.48mm, slightly different from that of the F. hepatica-like group at 1.53±0.41mm. The study concluded that fascioliasis is prevalent in all the sub-counties and town councils of Agago North County at over 30% and suggested Fasciola gigantica to be the major and most likely the only Fasciola species responsible for bovine fascioliasis in the area.
Recommendations made include appropriate chemotherapy and control of lymnaeid snails, genetic characterization of the flukes and further study of the intermediate host snails in the area.
