Summary
The trematodes Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica, cause veterinary
and economic problems in domestic ruminants. These parasites have a
wide range and are a cause of serious losses to cattle, buffalo, sheep and
goat producers in the tropics and sub-tropics, especially in areas where
conditions favour the survival of the snail vectors. The loss to the Kenyan
meat industry has been conservatively estimated to be above 7 million
per annum and the losses in Nepal 10-20 Million $US per annum, while
the losses in Peru are also considerable.
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| Primary Relevance |
Low - High |
| Feeding and Nutrition |
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| Animal Health |
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| Commodities and Markets |
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| Other Husbandry |
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| Policy Relevance |
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These losses occur through a combination of poor health, resulting in reduced productivity, death of stock, condemnations of infected livers and reduction in carcass quality.
Cost-effective control of these trematodes would thus be of developmental benefits, while improvements in the efficiency in the way control programmes are evaluated and geared to particular areas would assist in
the selection of target areas. Because of CTVM collaborations, the areas of particular interest are Cajamarca, Peru, Eastern Nepal and all areas in Kenya which have a problem with these liver flukes .
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