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L I VER F LUKE
RUSSELL FULLER,
TYNDALE VETS LTD
IAN BATES,
FENWOLD VETERINARY PRACTICE
Different approaches,
one common goal:
Controlling liver fluke
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
9
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Liver fluke infection, caused by Fasciola
hepatica, is becoming more common
across the UK, with the highest rates of
infection seen in the South West, West
Wales and South West Scotland. Flukicide
resistance (to triclabendazole) has been
confirmed in sheep in the last few years
and given our understanding of resistance
to wormers, this would suggest that resistant
fluke are here to stay.
Understanding fluke infection requires an
understanding of the life cycle. Liver fluke
do not pass directly from cow to cow or
sheep to sheep, instead they have to go
via snails, as shown below.
Therefore, infection is typically seen in the
autumn and winter, after the eggs have had
time to hatch and the larvae develop in
snails. The multiplication phase in snails is
temperature dependent (80 days at 15 o C
but only 20 days at 30 o C), so the weather
will affect infection levels.
Life cycle
Liver fluke
Adult fluke in liver
- lifespan of up to 18
months in cattle,
indefinite in sheep
Larvae in snail -
multiply by
thousands
'Cysts' on pasture
Immature larvae
in liver
Eggs on pasture
Larvae on pasture
Eaten and
migrate to liver
12 weeks to
develop
10 weeks of warm
(over 10 o C), wet
weather
Veterinary surgeon
Russell Fuller
XLVets practice
Tyndale Vets Ltd
Veterinary surgeon
Ian Bates
XLVets practice
Fenwold Veterinary
Practice
Ian Bates
Fenwold Veterinary
Practice
Russell Fuller
Tyndale Vets Ltd