Prevalence of fascioliasis and its effect on biomarkers of liver injury in cattle slaughtered at Wurukum Abattoir in Nigeria

Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of fascioliasis in cattle slaughtered at the Wurukum Abattoir in Benue State, Nigeria, and evaluate its effects on the liver functions of the animals. This is a common disease in several parts of the world, so the determination of its percentage occurrence and adverse effects on the health of cattle may be useful in the treatment and control of the disease. Liver tissues were collected from 100 cows and bulls and examined for Fasciola species. Blood samples were randomly collected from 70 out of the 100 cattle, and serum was separated from each sample. The samples were assayed for some liver injury markers including alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and total bilirubin (TB). This study found the prevalence of fascioliasisas as 45% at the Wurukum Municipal Abattoir. Among the infected animals, cows accounted for more infections (24%) than bulls (21%). The findings of biochemical analyses showed that there was no significant (p>0.05) difference in the biomarkers (ALT, ALP, TP, ALB and TB) of liver injury between the infected cattle and the control. However, there was a significant (p<0.05) elevation in the AST activity of infected cattle when compared with the control. This study has shown a high prevalence of fascioliasis in slaughtered cattle at the Wurukum Abattoir in Makurdi but may be yet to cause liver injury in the animals.