Serological and Coprological Studies of Bovine
Fasciolosis in the Pothwar Region, Pakistan
Saira Mufti1,
Kiran Afshan2, Imtiaz Ahmad Khan3, Shamaila
Irum4, Irfan Zia Qureshi2, Syed Shakeel Raza
Rizvi5, Muhammad Mukhtar6, Muhammad Mushtaq6,
Zubaria Iqbal1and Mazhar Qayyum1*
1Department
of Zoology and Biology, Faculty of Sciences, PMAS-Arid Agriculture
University, Rawalpindi-46300; 2Department of Animal
Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University,
Islamabad-45320; 3Department ofPathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi-46300; 4Department
of Biosciences,COMSATS Institute of Information
Technology, Islamabad; 5Pakistan Science Foundation,
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad; 6Barani Livestock
Production Research Institute, Kharimurat, Fateh Jang, Attock,
Pakistan;
*Corresponding author:
mazhar_dr@yahoo.com
Abstract
The present study was aimed to evaluate the
diagnostic value of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using excretory-secretory
antigen (ESA) and Zinc sulphate sedimentation technique for coprodiagnosis. A
comparison was made between both techniques for rapid and accurate diagnosis
based on 200 serum and faecal samples from cattle (n=117) and buffaloes (n=83).In the first step, ELISA was standardized by using sera from
Fasciola infected and non-infected
animals. The level of sensitivity observed was 100%, while 95% specificity
against Gigantocotyle explanatum and
Paramphistomum spp. or a mixed
infection with both parasites was noted. Fasciolosis rate was significantly
(P<0.05) higher in buffaloes in which 60% prevalence was found for indirect
ELISA and 53% in case of coprological analysis, while on other hand in cattle
prevalence rate was 50 and 37%, respectively. The results showed a significant
(P<0.05) breed difference in cattle. Furthermore, the significant difference was
noted in buffaloes with reference to age and sex groups. After contrasting data
from ELISA and faecal analysis, 11% of the sera analyzed had positive values of
indirect-ELISA and negative by faecal analysis. The findings suggest that
indirect ELISA is an efficient diagnostic technique and combination of both
techniques could be useful for accurate diagnosis of fascioliasis in endemic
areas. It is recommended that both cattle and buffaloes
should be screened by applying both serological and coprological techniques in
other agro-ecological zones of Pakistan.