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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Prevalence, risk factors, paramphistome coinfections, and farmers' awareness of fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Boyolali, Indonesia

(Indonesia), Master of Science in Veterinary Science (Universiti Putra Malaysia)

Thesis Abstract:

Fasciolosis is a significant concern in veterinary and public health, resulting in enormous economic losses, and is prevalent in Indonesia. Dairy farming plays an essential role in rural livelihood in Boyolali and Indonesia; however, epidemiological studies of fasciolosis in dairy cattle are limited. This present study was conducted to determine the: i) prevalence of fasciolosis; ii) infection intensity of fasciolosis; iii) risk factors of fasciolosis; iv) sensitivity and specificity of Flukefinder® kit in diagnosing fasciolosis; v) concurrent infection between Fasciola spp. and Paramphistomes; and vi) awareness of dairy farmers towards fasciolosis occurrence. A cross-sectional study involved 400 dairy cattle from 72 household farms in Boyolali Regency, Indonesia. Trematodes were identified by coprological examination using the simple sedimentation method (gold standard) and Flukefinder® kit. The overall prevalence of fasciolosis was 16.50% (range: 8.57-33.96%) at the animal level, whereas 40.28% at the household farms level (range: 27.27-62.50%). Fasciolosis was significantly associated with cattle origin, i.e., Mojosongo sub-district was more likely to have fasciolosis than other sub-districts (OR= 5.28, 95%CI 1.22-22.94). The farms that did not practice processing manure were more likely to have the disease than those farms that did practice (OR=3.03, 95%CI 1.43-4.71), and the farmers who were never exposed to the extension program, their cattle were more likely to have infections (OR= 4.72, 95%CI 1.99-11.19). Most infected cattle tested were of light severity followed by moderate and heavy, 92.4% (77.8-100%), 6.1% (0-22.2%), and 1.5% (0-5.6%), respectively. The geometric mean of epg was 3.95 (95%CI 2.55-5.36), and there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the geometric mean of epg between the two coprological tests. The relative sensitivity and specificity of the Flukefinder® kit compared with those of the gold standard were 79.49% and 92.52%, respectively, with a moderate agreement (Kappa= 0.59; P<0.001). The present study revealed the existence of a concurrent infection between Fasciola spp. and Paramphistomes in the dairy farming center in Boyolali with low prevalence (0.50%; 95%CI 0.06-1.79%) and was only observed in the two subdistricts of Boyolali and Tamansari. Rumen fluke infection was uncommon, with a prevalence of 0.75% (95% CI 0.15-2.18%). The study also revealed that most farmers (67%) have heard of fasciolosis; however, 79% were unaware that the disease is zoonotic. The farmers with a basic educational level (OR= 0.16, 95%CI 0.045-0.52) and herd size <5 cows (OR= 0.31, 95%CI 0.10-0.95) were more likely to have poor knowledge of fasciolosis. In conclusion, fasciolosis is prevalent in dairy cattle in Boyolali, Indonesia. There is a concurrent infection between liver fluke and rumen fluke, although uncommon. Flukefinder® is a practical on-site diagnostic kit for fasciolosis on Indonesian dairy farms. The awareness of farmers about fasciolosis is relatively high; however, their knowledge is poor. Improving farming management and increasing farmers' knowledge could be priorities for effectively controlling and preventing fasciolosis in Boyolali, Indonesia.