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Dicrocoeliosis is a trematode infection in cattle, sheep and goats caused by the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium spp. Though endemic in Ghana, its disease situation is poorly understood. In the present study, the prevalence, distribution and worm load of Dicrocoelium spp. in cattle at slaughter in Wa were determined. A total of 389 cattle were screened during meat inspection for liver flukes, and polymerase chain reaction accompanied by DNA sequencing of the 28S rRNA gene was used to identify Dicrocoelium spp. Generally, prevalence of bovine dicrocoeliosis (small liver fluke) stood at 19.54 % with prevalence in males and females being 17.62 % and 21.43 %, respectively. Animals under 2 years suffered more infection than older ones (23.08 % vs. 16.80 %). Dicrocoelium infection was recorded in animals from all the communities where slaughtered cattle came from. On average, 31 flukes per infected animal were recorded. A molecular confirmatory test on seven flukes identified them as D. hospes. This preliminary study highlights the importance of bovine dicrocoeliosis in Ghana and has identified D. hospes as a causal agent. The data provides basis for further studies to appraise the trematode disease situation in animals and phylogeny of Dicrocoelium spp. circulating in Ghana.

Background This study investigated the epidemiological and molecular aspects of dicrocoeliosis in extensive sheep farms. Methods From 2013 to 2014, copromicroscopical analyses in 190 dairy sheep farms and anatomo-pathological inspections in six slaughterhouses were carried in Sardinia, Italy. Rectal faecal samples were analyzed using the FLOTAC® method, and anatomo-pathological examinations were based on detecting thickened terminal bile ducts (TTBDs). In addition, genetic analyses were conducted on representative DNA samples of adult Dicrocoelium spp. Results Ninety-seven (51.1%) out of 190 sheep farms were coprologically positive for Dicrocoelium spp. In the liver, on the surface and cut surface, TTBDs were reported in 40.1% (309/770) and 15.3% (118/770) of the animals examined, respectively, with an overall prevalence of 25.5% (196/770). No intraspecific genetic variation was observed among the Dicrocoelium dendriticum isolates. Conclusions Our survey reveals the widespread presence of D. dendriticum in Sardinia, although seasonal, geographical and climatic conditions might be key factors in modulating the infection prevalence. Examining typical lesions due to D. dendriticum in the liver in abattoirs can be used as a marker for tracking chronic dicrocoeliosis infection.

Dicrocoelium dendriticum is the most common liver fluke in domestic ruminants in Italy, reaching prevalence values of 67% on ovine farms in the southern regions. It causes economic losses and clinical problems. The present paper reviews the results of a controlled field trial conducted in southern Italy to evaluate the efficacy of a single or double administration of albendazole micronised against D. dendriticum in pastured sheep naturally infected by the small liver fluke. The trial was conducted in a sheep farm located in the Campania region, southern Italy. Sixty female crossbreed sheep were selected on the basis of the D. dendriticum positive faecal egg counts (FEC). Ewes were divided into 3 groups, of 20 sheep each, based on D. dendriticum FEC. One group (A-group) was treated once and the other group (B-group) treated twice at an interval of one week, whereas the control group (C-group) was untreated. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated by FEC and necropsy examination for D. dendriticum. Following the WAAVP guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of anthelmintics in ruminants, the double administration of albendazole micronized, showed a high efficacy (up to 99% based on FEC reduction), whereas the single treatment was less effective (up to 96% based on FEC reduction) against D. dendriticum. This difference was significant (P < 0–0.05). The results were also confirmed by necropsy examinations. At day 14 the mean D. dendriticum burdens of the slaughtered sheep of the A-group, B-group and C-group were 87, 70 and 1274 adults (P < 0.001), respectively following necroscopic examinations.

Objective: The liver flukes, Fasciola spp. and Dicrocoelium dendriticum, infect ruminants and other mammalian extensively and cause major diseases of livestock that produce considerable economic losses. Methods: A survey of 2 391 sheep and goats slaughtered at an abattoir in Amol region, northern Iran was used to determine the prevalence of the liver flukes infection based on season, sex and specie of the animals. Results:The results revealed that the prevalence rate of Fasciola spp. and Dicrocoelium dendriticum was 6.6% and 4.3% respectively. Dicrocoeliosis was more dominant in female animals (7.1%) whereas there was no sex-related difference in the prevalence of Fasciola spp. in male and female animals. Furthermore, Fasciolosis was significantly more prevalent than dicrocoeliosis in both sheep and goats. The Seasonal prevalence of Fasciola spp. was highest (P

Dicrocoeliosis is mainly caused by Dicrocoelium dendriticum , which is also known as ‘lancet fluke' or ‘small liver fluke' as opposed to Fasciola spp., otherwise known as the ‘liver fluke'. This underestimated parasitic disease affects the liver of domestic and wild ruminants, which can lead to weight loss and reduced milk production, and is also common among grazing ruminants. Reports of dicrocoeliosis are increasing, mainly due to the expansion of dry desertified habitats and the increase in anthelmintic resistance. This article provides insights into the latest investigations on diagnosis and control of dicrocoeliosis, and discusses the feasibility of environmentally friendly management strategies.

Dicrocoeliosis was identified as the probable predisposing cause of weight loss and hepatogenous photosensitisation affecting half of a group of 14 month-old ewe lambs on a farm on the Inner Hebridean island of Coll. Oral dosing of the ewe lambs with 15 mg/kg albendazole only achieved a 79.2% reduction in Dicrocoelium dendriticum egg count, 21 day post treatment. Thus, this report of dicrocoeliosis differs from the disease that occurs elsewhere, both in the severity and nature of its clinical signs, and in the response of the parasite to anthelmintic drug treatment. These differences could indicate the existence of a genetically divergent D. dendriticum population, which may have evolved within the unique and isolated biotope afforded by the machair on the island of Coll. Better understanding of these factors is a prerequisite for effective and sustainable disease control.

Meat-inspection records in an abattoir located in the Fars province (southern part of Iran) from 20 March 1999 to 19 March 2004 were used to determine the prevalence and long-term trend of liver fluke disease in sheep, cattle and goats in the region. A total of 844,039 animals (cattle 131,716; sheep 577,090; goats 135,233) slaughtered in the 5-year period and overall 34,856 (4.1%) livers were condemned. Fasciolosis and dicrocoeliosis were responsible for 54 and 21% of total liver condemnations, respectively. The prevalence of liver condemnations due to fasciolosis was decreased from 3.89, 3.20 and 2.63% in 1999-2000 to 1.07, 0.59 and 0.24% in 2003-2004 for cattle, sheep and goats, respectively. The corresponding features for dicrocoeliosis were similar, declining from 1.47, 1.76 and 2.10% in 1999-2000 to 0.69, 0.34 and 0.25% in 2003-2004, respectively. Drought climatic conditions in conjunction with a greater awareness among farmers could be responsible factors.

Despite its widespread presence among grazing ruminants, dicrocoeliosis, also known as "small liver fluke" disease, is poorly known and often underestimated by researchers and practitioners in many countries. This is primarily due to the multiple parasitic infections which affect ruminant livestock and mask the pathology of dicrocoeliosis, to the difficulties in diagnosing it with coprological techniques and, finally, to the few effective drugs found. Furthermore, the biological cycle of Dicrocoelium, which requires a snail and an ant as intermediate hosts, and the high number of ecological and epidemiological variables affecting the disease make it difficult to set up experimental designs to study dicrocoeliosis. In the past 50 years, many aspects of this disease have been broadly investigated (aetiology, life cycle, diffusion, epidemiology, pathogenesis and immunology) but its diagnosis and treatment still remain moot issues. Dicrocoeliosis often remains clinically undetected and its diagnosis is mostly based on adult dicrocoelia recovered in the liver post mortem or on egg detected at coprological examination. The prophylaxis of the small liver fluke has been difficult and unsatisfactory to date due to the complexity of its biological life cycle and epidemiology. Many anti-helminthic drugs are practically ineffective against dicrocoeliosis if used at the dosage recommended against other gastrointestinal helminths and lungworms. The most important aspects of the aetiology, biological cycle, spread, epidemiology and pathogenesis of dicrocoeliosis are reviewed and the recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment are focused on.

A survey incorporating field and abattoir studies was carried out on the prevalence of Dicrocoelium dendriticum in sheep and goats in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh (India). Coprological studies on these migratory animals revealed that 8.1% of sheep and 4.1% of goats were positive for dicrocoeliosis, with a mean number of eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) of 702.1 for sheep and 566.7 for goats. The necropsy liver examination of slaughtered animals revealed that 24.1% of sheep and 12.3% of goats were infected with D. dendriticum and they had mean fluke burdens of 247.2 (sheep) and 298.1 (goats). No significant differences in fluke burden, liver lesion score and EPG count were observed between sheep and goats. The seasonal distribution of dicrocoeliosis indicated a higher percentage of infection in autumn and winter as compared with spring and summer. The potential role of migratory sheep and goats in the epizootiology of dicrocoeliosis is discussed.

The sensitivity and specificity of the agar gel precipitation test (AGPT), counter immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) and passive haemagglutination test (PHT) were evaluated for the diagnosis of Dicrocoelium dendriticum infection in naturally infected sheep and goats. Two hundred and forty five sheep and goat sera samples were tested using phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.2 extracted adult fluke antigen. CIEP detected 69.8% of the infected animals and was found to be the most sensitive, followed by PHT which detected 50.0% of the infected sheep and goats. AGPT was found to be the least sensitive, detecting only 23.8% of the infected animals. The specificity of AGPT, CIEP and PHT were 93.3%, 84.0% and 93.3%, respectively. CIEP was found to be the most sensitive, specific and rapid test for the seroepidemiological survey of dicrocoeliosis in sheep and goats.