A survey on the bovine amphistomiasis in Mazanderan province, north of Iran

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and intensity of histomiasis in native cattleand mixed breed Holstein from Mazanderan province, in the north of Iran in association with sex, age, breedand season. During the 4 seasons of 2008, at meat inspection the rumen and reticulum of 132 native cattleand 104 mixed breed were examined by naked eye for histomiasis. All histomes found in each cattle were collected separately and preserved in 70% alcohol containing 5% glycerin for further studies. Ourfindings revealed the overall prevalence rate and Mean ± SE of intensity 33.9% and 864.4 ± 127.2histomes per animal, 40.9% and 1012.5 ± 179.4 in native cattle, and 25% and 557.42 ± 99.9 in mixedbreeds, respectively. A few histomes were collected from the reticulum of a native cattle. There was nosignificant relation between the intensity of the infection and the breed (P=0.094), whereas the relationbetween breed and the prevalence of infection (P=0.0103), and that of age and the infection (P=0.016) weresignificant. The older group (5≤) harbored more trematodes than ≤2 and 3–4 year old, and p values: P=0.026 and P=0.032 were significant, respectively. Difference was observed between the intensity of infection in different age groups. Again a highly significant relation was shown between gender and the prevalence of infection (P 0.001), but not with the intensity of infection (P=0.206). Despite the difference in the seasonal variations of prevalence (P=0.133), and the relation between the intensity of infection and season (P=0.794), these were not statistically significant. At least 20 histomes from each infected cattle were stained using aceto alum carmine and the identified species were: Calicophoron calicophorn (42.85%), Gastrothylax crumenifer (34.5%), Parhistomum gotoi (21.8%) and Carmyerius spatiosus (0.75%). Calicophoron calicophorn is a new host and distribution record for studied areas as well as Iran.