Chronic Liver fluke in Roe

morena

Well-Known Member
There has been a case of chronic liver fluke reported in East Somerset. Animal was debilitated and ? euthanased (PC correct). Any stalkers in that area please keep eyes open and camera at the ready as we could do with a good set of photos. pm me initially and will tell you what photos to take. Thanks
Morena
 
It's an organism, and it spends the adult part of its life cycle in the animal's liver, and the egg/larval part in water/wet conditions, hence the proximity to water. The animal catches it by eating the eggs/larvae which migrate to the liver.

The same way people catch it! I haven't drunk from a 'clean' stream for 20 years!

It may also spend part of it's larval stage in a snail (am I making that up ??!)

Complex and fascinating life cylce and creature.

There will be many, more knowledgeable than I, on here who can fill in the details.
 
snowstorm said:
It's an organism, and it spends the adult part of its life cycle in the animal's liver, and the egg/larval part in water/wet conditions, hence the proximity to water. The animal catches it by eating the eggs/larvae which migrate to the liver.

The same way people catch it! I haven't drunk from a 'clean' stream for 20 years!

It may also spend part of it's larval stage in a snail (am I making that up ??!)

Complex and fascinating life cylce and creature.

There will be many, more knowledgeable than I, on here who can fill in the details.
I`ve just googled it and yes it involves snails. I believe that sheep and cattle in Wales suffer alot of liver fluke.
basil.
 
This isn't a joke, seriously, don't be tempted to chew a blade of grass in an area where liver fluke is endemic in cattle. The intermediate snail host can pass the parasite on via their faeces, you don't have to chew on the snail itself.
The fluke and their hosts love damp ground, and wet weather, so this summer has suited them just fine.
 
Picking and eating wild watercress is a good way of getting your liver infected with fluke :( :(
Must agree, they do have a facinating lifecycle, you may find 3 different fluke that turn up in meat inspection.
They are usually hermaphrodites
nell
 
Picking and eating wild watercress is a good way of getting your liver infected with fluke :( :(
Must agree, they do have a facinating lifecycle, you may find 3 different fluke that turn up in meat inspection.
They are usually hermaphrodites
nell
 
Hi everyone. As I understand it from our Vet, it's water snails that carry fluke larva, and more likely from ponds rather than streams.
So what's the risk in eating cultivated watercress. Are you more or less likely to contract fluke than eating the wild stuff. Where I pick my wild watercress the Village below the spring gets it's water from there and I haven't heard of them suffering.
Ok Morena, back to you.
 
Hi techman,
Here is the life cycle of the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica. From infected pasture into host, hatches and penetrates the bowel and finds the liver. it wanders around eating bits until it finds the bile ducts, it blocks some of these which become distended and may become calcified. In severe infections inflammation leads to abscesses which are replaced by scar tissue. Then when you check the liver on cutting it feels gritty and you may find flukes as well. Experimentally in sheep the fluke can live as long as the sheep. Normally in fields that flooded or are moist. snails can't cope with running water.
Roe deer are particularly susceptible. Reds appear more resistant . Cultivated watercress is strictly monitored. I personally would never eat wild nor would I chew grass stems. Cases do occur in humans and make a very difficult diagnosis as they look for everything except the kitchen sink first. Where I put cercaria should be Metacercaria

Liver-fluke.jpg


The other flukes mentioned are Dicrocoelium dendriticum which has 2 intermediate hosts a snail and an ant.This also goes for the liver.

The third one is Parapistomum cervi This is the rumen fluke which spends part of it's life in the duodenum before moving to the rumen/reticulum. If the infection is massive the duodenal phase can produce diarrhoea.

Yes snails are hermaphrodite.
 
Thanks Morena,
This is a better explination than the one at the Game Meat Handling course I attended.
Incidentally I have not found signs of diseased liver in any of my deer (south OXON/North Berkshire) culled over the past fifteen years.

Perhaps this is going off thread slightly, but what about our dogs eating grass when accompanying us stalking. What are the symptoms in a live animal and is there a treatment for liver fluke.
 
Never come across liver fluke in dogs but it could be diagnosed on a worm egg count with flotation technique saturated zinc sulphate. It would have to be a massive infection to show up as a liver disease. Believe it could be treated with droncit. If they eating grass not paying attention to job in hand :)
 
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