Family- Fasciolidae

Genus: Fasciola
F. hepatica, F. gigantica

Site: Adult- Bile duct, Young- liver parenchyma.

Intermediate Host: Aquatic snail (Lymnaea spp.),
Final Host: Many mammals (mainly cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat).

Morphology:
Size- F. hepatica (30x13mm, broad shoulders,
anterior cone well developed).
F. gigantica (25-75x12, shoulders not
prominent, small anterior cone).
Young fluke- lancet like. Mature- leaf shaped.
Fresh- greyish brown.
Ventral sucker at the level of shoulders, as large
as oral and both readily seen.
Tegument- backwardly projecting spines.
Intestinal caeca- extensively branched and
extends far back.
Testes-much branched, fills the median field.
Well developed cirrus and cirrus sac encloses
prostate and seminal vesicle.
F. hepatica. A- Reproductive system
Ovary- to the right of the middle, anterior to
B- Alimentary system
testes and branched.
Vitelline gland- fills the lateral field, consists of fine follicles.
Uterus-anterior to testes.
Egg- yellow, operculate, oval and large.

Life cycle
Egg- miracidium- sporocyst- redia- cercaria- metacercaria (6-8 redia from sporocyst). Life cycle
completion- 17to 19 weeks.
The eggs enter the duodenum with the bile and leave the host with the feces. The rate of
hatching and development of the parasite depends on temperature, but at 26c eggs hatch in
about 10-12 days producing the Miracidium larva. For further development snails of genus
Lymnea is required (L. truncatula, L. bulimoides, L. tomentosa, L. viator, L. diaphena, L.
columnella) etc. The Miracidium penetrates into the snail, casting off its covering and develops
to sporocyst which reaches a length of 1mm. Sporocysts are characterized by circular thickening
behind the level of pharynx and a pair of blunt processes at the beginning of the posterior
quarter. Daughter rediae may develop under unfavorable conditions, but the next normal
generation is of the cercaria. These leave the snail in four and a half to seven weeks from the
time of infection. Within a few minutes to two hours the cercaria settle on a blade of grass or
other plants just below the water and, after casting off the tail, secrete a covering from the
cystogenous glands forming cysts about 0.2mm in diameter. The cercarias are now infective and
are called metacercaria. They are swallowed by the final host with plants or from drinking water.
In the final host the metacercaria excysts in the small intestine, and the immature worm burrows
through the intestinal tract. The worm migrates through the peritoneal cavity into the liver and
finally into the bile duct.

Swagat Nepal, 2010
Pathogenesis
Acute condition:
Associated with the ingestion of large number of metacercaria.
Traumatic hepatitis caused by migration of young flukes.
Extensive destruction of liver parenchyma and haemorrhage.
Excessive large number- rupture of liver capsule and haemorrhage in abdominal cavity.
Complicated by invasion of Clostridium oedematiens novyi, which proliferates in
anaerobic necrotic lesion produced by young flukes (Black disease).

Chronic condition
Common form of infection in animals.
Traumatic destruction of liver parenchyma, with migratory tracts.
Healing of the lesion with fibrosis.
Migration may cause thrumbus formation in hepatic veins and liver sinusoids- results in
ischaemic, coagulative necrosis in liver parenchyma.
Adult flukes- hyperplastic cholangitis (caused by spines and sucker of the fluke).
Wall of bile duct become calcified, difficult to cut with knife (condition pipe stem
liver).
Hyperproteinaemia.

Swagat Nepal, 2010
Clinical Signs
Death rapidly or after few days (blood stained froth may appear from mouth and nostril)-
acute condition. PM- enlarged, pale, friable liver .Animal disinclined to move, anorexia,
distended abdomen- painful to touch.
Chronic condition- Loss of condition and vigour.Anaemia.
Oedema of intermandibular region (bottle jaw).
Skin dry and doughy to touch.
Emaciation and general depression.
Constipation and diarrhoea.

Diagnosis
Eggs in the faeces. History of feeding/grazing grass from shallow areas.
Clinical symptoms.

Treatment
Carbon tetra chloride- old drug but little bit toxic.
Oxyclozanide, Rafoxanide, Nitroxynil, Benzimidazoles (Albendazoles).

Control
Control of snail (Molluscicide or biological control through the use of ducks and frogs). Periodic
drenching of animal based on the knowledge of epidemiology. Preventing animals movement in
damp and shallow areas.

Swagat Nepal, 2010