The proportion of liver excised in Algerian abattoirs is not a good indicator of Fasciola hepatica infections in local cattle breeds.

Abstract

Clinical and serological investigations on 175 cattle were carried out in 1999 at the slaughterhouse of Jijel, northeastern Algeria, to verify if partial ablation of a liver infected with Fasciola hepatica represents a good epidemiological indicator in the case of fasciolosis, as partial excision of the liver is widespread throughout North African countries. This study was also performed to determine if there is a direct relationship between the quantity of liver confiscated for fasciolosis and the serological response of slaughtered animals. A significant relationship between highly infected livers and positive serological titres was noted. However, two groups of results were conflicting: the presence of macroscopically healthy, undamaged livers with a positive serology (8.3% of 120 cattle), or the existence of highly damaged livers with a negative serology (13.0% of 31 cattle). These results indicate that partial removal of the liver in the case of fasciolosis is unreliable, so this method does not represent a good tool to establish epidemiological data on this disease.