Zoonotic implications due to the presence of Galba truncatula, vector of Fasciola hepatica, in Mendoza, Argentina.

MERA Y SIERRA R.L.; DEIS E.; CUERVO P.F.; SIDOTI L

Viena

Simposio; FAO/IAEA International Symposium on “Sustainable Improvement of Animal Production and Health”.; 2009

Food and Agriculture Organization - International Atomic Energy Agency

st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Fasciolosis, the disease caused by the trematode Fasciola hepática and Fasciola gigantica, has been recognized as a very important problem affecting livestock. Since the 1990s it started to be considered a zoonotic disease with important public health implications. Areas of human endemicity where described, principally in Andean regions of South America. The vector of the disease is different species of lymnaeid snails, but Galba truncatula is considered the most efficient one. In Argentina it has always been considered a disease of veterinary importance and the human cases reported have been sporadic. Traditionally, the main vector implied has always been described as Lymnaea viatrix, but recently G. truncatula has been described in Mendoza. This snail is of European origin and was introduced to Bolivia, where hyperendemic regions of human fasciolosis have been described in the Bolivian Altiplano which highlights the vectorial capacity of G. truncatula in the zoonotic transmission of fasciolosis. Since the first description of G. truncatula in Mendoza our objective was to investigate the extent of its distribution in the province of Mendoza and evaluate the potential zoonotic risk.