Host differences in response to trickle infection with Fasciola gigantica in buffalo, Ongole and Bali calves

Progressive weight gain, faecal egg counts, packed cell volume, percent eosinophils in blood, serum antibody and serum levels of glutamate dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were recorded in seven swamp buffalo (Bubalis bubalis), 7 Ongole (Bos indicus) and four Bali calves (Bos sundiacus) which were infected orally with 15 metacercariae of Fasciola gigantica twice weekly for 32 weeks. Similar observations were made on four buffalo, 4 Ongole calves and 3 Bali calves maintained fluke-free as controls. Flukes were counted at slaughter 36 weeks after initial infection. Mean daily weight gains of infected Bali (228 ± 100 (SD) g/day) and infected Ongole calves (328 ± 57 (SD) g/day) were lower (p = 0.026 and 0.067, respectively) than those of control calves (405 ± 107 (SD) g/day), but infected buffalo calves (379 ± 78 (SD) g/day) had similar weight gains to those of the controls (p = 0.57). Throughout the trial, faecal Fasciola egg counts in buffaloes were about one-fifth of counts of Ongole calves, and counts in Bali calves were intermediate. Ongole calves had three times the number of flukes at slaughter in their liver compared to buffalo and Bali calves, which had similar numbers. However, there was evidence that Bali calves had acquired a degree of resistance about 24 weeks after infection commenced and may have lost adult flukes as a consequence

Differences in susceptibility between cattle and swamp buffaloes to infection with Fasciola gigantica

Cattle and buffaloes in the wet tropics are commonly infected with Fasciola gigantica (Spithill et al., 1999). There are few reports on differences in susceptibility to infection between cattle and buffaloes. E. Wiedosari (personal communication, 1997) demonstrated that buffaloes were least affected by infection with F. gigantica compared to Bali and Ongole calves. Differences in resistance and/or resilience to F. gigantica between cattle and buffaloes may exist as there are reports of breed differences in susceptibility to F. gigantica between Friesian and Boran cattle (Wamae et al., 1998), between Indonesian thin-tailed sheep, Merinos and St Croix sheep (Widjajanti et al., 1999), and between Red Masai and Dorper sheep (Waweru et al., 1999). This paper compares the susceptibility of cattle (Bos indicus) and swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) to infection with F. gigantica based on\ud parasitological and clinicopathological parameters