Contact
Johan Höglund
Professor at the Department of Biomedical Science and Veterinary Public Health; Parasitology Unit
Telephone: 018-672371, 070-2574156
E-mail: johan.hoglund@slu.se
Experimental and epidemiological studies of Fasciola hepatica
Last changed: 30 August 2022
The liverfluke (Fasciola hepatica) is a pathogenic parasite that in recent years has become increasingly important in both sheep and beef-producing cattle. While the parasite has become increasingly common, there is limited access to modern diagnostic tools and basic knowledge of the freshwater snails that spread the parasite under Swedish conditions.
Although it is reasonable to assume that the amphibian pond snail Galba truncatula is the species that are most important in this respect, research outside Sweden has shown that there are other closely related species that can spread the parasite and that in some cases they play an equally important role.
In this project we investigate the prevalence of F. hepatica and its larval stages both in ruminants and various freshwater snails collected in connection to different grazing areas used by sheep and/or cattle, and which has for many years has had recurring problems and morbidity due to liverfluke infection. We also verify experimentally the snails of those that we find in the fields that are susceptible to the parasite when exposed to the parasite under optimal laboratory conditions. While implementation of a method development work aimed at developing and evaluating new diagnostic based on modern tools (ELISA and PCR), which can be used to detect leverflundrans larvae of various intermediate hosts but also among the ruminants that act as the parasite's main host.