Corrales, Jesús López, McEvoy, Amanda, Lalor, Richard, Cwiklinski, Krystyna 
ORCID: 0000-0001-5577-2735, Doyle, Sean, Parkinson, Michael, Keane, Orla M, Dalton, John Pius and Dorey, Amber Louise
(2023)
The use of cathepsin L1 (FhCL1) serological ELISA in sentinel screening for liver fluke on sheep farms.
Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 45.
p. 100924.
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The use of FhCL1 serological ELISA in liver fluke_accepted manuscript_for elements.pdf - Author Accepted Manuscript Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (855kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Fasciola hepatica is a parasitic helminth (worm) that poses a significant economic threat to the ruminant livestock industry worldwide. The disease, fasciolosis, can result in a range of clinical signs including anaemia, weight loss and death, with the most severe symptoms attributed to early acute infection when the parasite is migrating through the liver. Early diagnosis and intervention are essential for the control and management of the disease to prevent productivity losses. The traditional gold standard method of diagnosis uses faecal egg counts (FEC) that is limited to detecting patent infections from 10 to 12 weeks post infection (WPI). In contrast, serological assays can detect pre-patent infections as we have shown that enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) using the F. hepatica cysteine peptidase cathepsin L1 (FhCL1) can detect liver fluke infections from 3 to 4 WPI. Here, we used FEC and ELISA to monitor liver fluke infections in sentinel lambs from three commercial farms in Ireland from September 2021 to March 2022. All three farms showed a significant increase in FhCL1 antibody levels and FEC over this time, with a substantial rise in positive infection detection between late November and January. However, ELISA screening detected infection at least two months prior to FEC (September). This suggests that the regular screening of sentinel lambs for F. hepatica seroconversion in a "test and treat" approach could mitigate the negative damaging impact of early fasciolosis on flock health, welfare and productivity and inform management strategies. In addition, we show that whole blood samples taken on Whatman® protein saver cards could replace conventional serum blood tubes for blood collection. Cards can be stored at room temperature for long periods of time and samples revisited at any time for re-analysis. The adoption of these cards on farm together with the FhCL1 ELISA would provide a simpler, cost-effective, and eco-friendly method for testing sentinel lambs for liver fluke disease.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Animals, Sheep, Fasciola hepatica, Fascioliasis, Cathepsins, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Farms |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 31 Aug 2023 08:05 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Mar 2024 17:46 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.vprsr.2023.100924 |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172431 |
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