TY - JOUR
T1 - Rumen fluke Calicophoron daubneyi on Welsh farms: Prevalence, risk factors, and observations on co-infection with Fasciola hepatica
AU - Jones, Rhys
AU - Brophy, Peter
AU - Mitchell, E. Sian
AU - Williams, Hefin
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Reports of Calicophoron daubneyi infecting livestock in Europe have increased substantially over the past decade; however, there has not been an estimate of its farm level prevalence and associated risk factors in the UK. Here, the prevalence of C. daubneyi across 100 participating Welsh farms was recorded, with climate, environmental and management factors attained for each farm and used to create logistic regression models explaining its prevalence. Sixty-one per cent of farms studied were positive for C. daubneyi, with herd-level prevalence for cattle (59%) significantly higher compared with flock-level prevalence for sheep (42%, P = 0·029). Co-infection between C. daubneyi and Fasciola hepatica was observed on 46% of farms; however, a significant negative correlation was recorded in the intensity of infection between each parasite within cattle herds (rho = −0·358, P = 0·007). Final models showed sunshine hours, herd size, treatment regularity against F. hepatica, the presence of streams and bog habitats, and Ollerenshaw index values as significant positive
predictors for C. daubneyi (P < 0·05). The results raise intriguing questions regarding C. daubneyi epidemiology, potential competition with F. hepatica and the role of climate change in C. daubneyi establishment and its future within the UK.
AB - Reports of Calicophoron daubneyi infecting livestock in Europe have increased substantially over the past decade; however, there has not been an estimate of its farm level prevalence and associated risk factors in the UK. Here, the prevalence of C. daubneyi across 100 participating Welsh farms was recorded, with climate, environmental and management factors attained for each farm and used to create logistic regression models explaining its prevalence. Sixty-one per cent of farms studied were positive for C. daubneyi, with herd-level prevalence for cattle (59%) significantly higher compared with flock-level prevalence for sheep (42%, P = 0·029). Co-infection between C. daubneyi and Fasciola hepatica was observed on 46% of farms; however, a significant negative correlation was recorded in the intensity of infection between each parasite within cattle herds (rho = −0·358, P = 0·007). Final models showed sunshine hours, herd size, treatment regularity against F. hepatica, the presence of streams and bog habitats, and Ollerenshaw index values as significant positive
predictors for C. daubneyi (P < 0·05). The results raise intriguing questions regarding C. daubneyi epidemiology, potential competition with F. hepatica and the role of climate change in C. daubneyi establishment and its future within the UK.
KW - Calicophoron daubneyi
KW - Fasciola hepatica
KW - co-infection
KW - cattle
KW - sheep
KW - logistic regression model
KW - null modelling
KW - UK
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2160/43936
UR - https://static.cambridge.org/content/id/urn:cambridge.org:id:article:S0031182016001797/resource/name/S0031182016001797sup001.pdf
U2 - 10.1017/S0031182016001797
DO - 10.1017/S0031182016001797
M3 - Article
C2 - 28145217
SN - 0031-1820
VL - 144
SP - 237
EP - 247
JO - Parasitology
JF - Parasitology
IS - 2
ER -