52a Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de
Zootecnia
Zootecnia: Otimizando Recursos e Potencialidades
Belo Horizonte – MG, 19 a 23 de Julho de 2015
Prevalência de Fasciolose Hepática no Descarte de Vísceras no Estado de Santa Catarina 1
Prevalence of Fasciola hepatica (Fasciolosis) in the condemnation of livers in the state of Santa Catarina 1
Letícia Heloise Andreani2, Carlos Eduardo Nogueira Martins3, Thaís Regina Lemfers2, Priscila Ferreira Faustino2,
Ranieri Bom2, Thais Vaz Brito da Luz4
1
Part of the research project of the first author, funded by CNPq.
Veterinary Medicine student of Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Catarinense – Araquari, Santa Catarina, Brasil; Sponsored
by CNPq. E-mail: [email protected]
3
Teacher in the course of Veterinary Medicine – IFC Araquari, SC, Brasil.
4
Veterinarian, Slaughterhouse São João – São João do Itaperiú, SC, Brasil.
2
Resumo: A fasciolose hepática é uma das principais doenças que acometem os bovinos de corte no estado de Santa
Catarina, causando condenação de fígado nos animais parasitados. Em parceria com o Frigorífico São João,
localizado em São João do Itaperiú, Santa Catarina, foram coletados e analisados dados de fevereiro de 2011 a
dezembro de 2014, visando identificar as regiões do estado mais afetadas e quantificar as perdas econômicas
causadas pelo verme. Em 2011 dos 21,847 animais abatidos, 644 (2.95%) tiveram condenação de fígado decorrente
da fasciolose. Em 2012, 1,130 bovinos (4.51%) dos 25,039 que foram mandados ao frigorífico apresentaram a
doença. Em 2013 houve um aumento significativo, passando a ser de 9.44%, 2,860 fígados em 30,286 abates, a taxa
de condenação. Em 2014 o número se tornou ainda mais expressivo: de 40,871 abates, 5,040 fígados foram
rejeitados, totalizando 12.33%. A região do estado que mais apresentou casos foi o Vale do Itajaí, tendo rejeição de
3,509 fígados (36.27%) no decorrer dos quatro anos. A relação mesorregião-fasciolose ocorre devido à necessidade
da presença do caramujo do gênero Lymnaea e o Vale do Itajaí possui as condições ideais para sua proliferação.
Rastreando os animais de regiões que não apresentam o habitat ideal para o caramujo, identificou-se que o mesmo
já está adaptado àquelas regiões, tendo ultrapassado as barreiras físicas e climáticas existentes.
Palavras–chave: abate, bovinos, caramujo, fígado, parasita, Vale do Itajaí
Abstract: The Fasciolosis is one of the most important diseases that affect beef cattle in the state of Santa Catarina,
provoking condemnation of livers of parasitized animals. In partnership with São João Slaughterhouse, located in
São João do Itaperiú, Santa Catarina, date were analyzed and collected between February, 2011 until December,
2014 with intention to identify the most affected regions of the state and to quantify and to determine economic
losses caused by worm. In 2011, 21,847 animals were slaughtered, 644 (2.95%) of the total were condemned of
liver because of the presence of the worm. In 2012, 1,130 bovine (4.51%) were rejected from the total of 25,039
animals. In 2013, it had increased significantly to 9.44% of disposing livers (2,860 livers according to 30,286 of
total). In 2014, this rate had became more expressive: from the total of 40,871 slaughtered animals, 5,040 livers
were condemned, totaling 12.33%. The region of the state that had presented more cases is Vale do Itajaí with 3,509
livers (36.27%) during the 4 years of survey. The relation mesoregion-fasciolosis happened due to the necessity for
the presence of the Lymnaea freshwater snails and Vale do Itajaí region has the most ideal conditions for its
proliferation. Making a look for the animals of the regions that should not be affected because of the non-ideal
environment, the search identified an adaptation of the fresh snail in these areas.
Keywords: beef cattle, freshwater snail, liver, parasite, slaughter, Vale do Itajaí
Introduction
Santa Catarina is located in the South of Brazil. It is bordered by Paraná state to the north, Rio Grande do
Sul state to the south, Atlantic Ocean to the east and Argentina to the west. The total area of the state is about
95,734 km² (IBGE, 2010), divided by six mesoregions: Grande Florianópolis, North region, West region, Serrana
region, South region and Vale do Itajaí, and each of the cited mesoregions differs in geographically and climatic
conditions. According with the Annual Summary of Agriculture of Santa Catarina (2011) by Epagri/Cepa, the beef
cattle ranks 9th in the ranking of higher gross output in the state, which is R$352,173.00, with the total of 105,800
ton of meat originated by approximately 4,000,000 animals, representing 1.9% of the national herd.
Fasciolosis, popularly known as “liver rot”, is one of the most important diseases that affect beef cattle in the
state of Santa Catarina. It is a parasitic infection caused by Fasciola hepatica, type of helminth with leaf-shape that
affects liver and bile ducts of many domestic and wild species, and causes the condemnation of a large number of
livers and carcasses at the slaughterhouse, besides the lost of weight loss, fertility decline, delay of growing, and
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Página - 1 - de 3
52a Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de
Zootecnia
Zootecnia: Otimizando Recursos e Potencialidades
Belo Horizonte – MG, 19 a 23 de Julho de 2015
mortality in severe cases. The presence of the intermediate host, Lymnaea freshwater snails, is necessary to
complete the cycle life of the parasite, and the intermediate host requires water availability for growing and
management.
The goal of this search was to execute a data collection about the number of discarded livers by Fasciolosis
between 2011 and 2014 in a slaughterhouse in the state of Santa Catarina, in order to show the most affected
regions by the disease, and quantify economic losses caused by the rejection of the liver. Furthermore, a survey was
realized to identify the traceability of the animals from the regions that by the time were considered unlikely to the
development of the freshwater snail. And this traceability was done with intention to figure out if the parasite had
already been established in these places for adaptation or if the animals were born in other regions and bought the
parasite from there to new places.
Material e Methods
The data collection was realized between February, 2011 until December, 2014 in partnership with São João
Slaughterhouse, located in São João do Itaperiú, Vale do Itajaí in the state of Santa Catarina. The data were stored
in digital and handwritten spreadsheets and contained information such as producer’s name, total number of
slaughter, hometown of the animals slaughtered, convicted organs, causes of condemnation and others. The
information was compiled in new spreadsheets and analyzed by Chi-Squared test with the JMP statistical package
(JMP, 2015). Along with CIDASC (Integrated Agricultural Development Company of Santa Catarina) in São João
do Itaperiú, the tracking animal was held from regions that exhibit unusual climatic conditions for the development
of the snail.
Results and Discussion
The number of discarded livers differed in the six mesoregions in the state of Santa Catarina between the
years 2011 and 2014 (p<0.01). It was slaughtered 21,847 animals in 2011, and 644 (2.95%) of the total had
condemned of liver by Fasciolosis. In 2012, 1,130 bovine (4.51%) from the total of 25,039 animals had showed the
presence of the parasite and damned. The condemnation rate of the affected livers had a significantly rise in 2013,
becoming 2,860 livers (9.44%) from 30,286 animals in total. In 2014, the rate had been showed more expressive:
5,040 rejected livers from 40,871 animals in total. During these four years, the total of 118,403 animals were
slaughtered with condemnation of 9,674 livers (8.20%), and the region that had more cases was Vale do Itajaí with
3,509 damned livers (36.27%).
The different mesoregions in the state of Santa Catarina did not present a standard rate in percentage of the
condemned livers between 2011 and 2014 (Figure 1). This observed variability can be associated with climatic
conditions of each mesoregion, but can be associated too with the supply and demand of the animals ready to
slaughter.
Figure 1. Percentage of condemned livers by Fasciola hepatica in different mesoregions
in the state of Santa Catarina between the years 2011 and 2014.
Averaging that one liver weights 5 kg and the price in nowadays is approximately R$8,00/kg, the four years
of condemnation was resulted in R$386,960.00 economic losses. But this amount refers only to the condemnation
of livers by Fasciolosis and does not involve the weight loss, fertility decline, delay of growing, mortality, etc.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Página - 2 - de 3
52a Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de
Zootecnia
Zootecnia: Otimizando Recursos e Potencialidades
Belo Horizonte – MG, 19 a 23 de Julho de 2015
The traceability of the animals bought forward that mesoregions which did not have reports of helminth in
the past, such as Oeste mesoregion and Serrana mesoregion, now have been showed considerable rates of the
disease as for the first mesoregion cited 13.94%, and 9.63% for the second mesoregion. Based in the data
collection, it was realized the traceability of 239 animals in 2013 that were brought from Oeste producers (159
animals) and Serranos producers (80 animals). The 239 animals evince 27.66% of the total of condemnation
provided by these mesoregions in that year. The hypothesis of parasite and intermediate host have already been
adapted for these mesoregions is proven by the fact of only one animal was brought from Vale do Itajaí (less than
1% of the total), and the others, 137 animals were born in Oeste (57.32%) and 101 in Serra (42.26%), showing that
the animals were affected by the parasite in their own regions.
Conclusions
The relation mesoregion-fasciolosis occurs because the necessity of the fresh snails, genus Lymnaea, to
complete the life cycle of the helminth and the Vale do Itajaí mesoregion has the most ideal conditions for the
proliferation of the parasite and intermediate host.
Tracing the animals of the mesoregions that did not have reports for this intermediate host, could be
visualized that the fresh snail has been adapted with different climatic conditions and the parasite has been
scattered.
There is no doubt that Fasciolosis causes wide losses to the beef cattle production, during the life of the
animal and during the moment of his death. So, understanding the characteristics of each mesoregion and the
aspects related with the parasite are primordial to prevent the disease, and at least, to know how to control.
The information and education of the producers is required for this search, because most of them are
unknown about the existence of the disease and for those who know, oftentimes do not understand the real
importance of the control, and unconsciously, help with the dissemination of the disease.
References
BOAS PRÁTICAS AGROPECUÁRIAS: “Bovinos de Corte”. 1 ed. Campo Grande: Embrapa Gado de Corte,
2007.
INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTATÍSTICA (IBGE). “Banco de Dados – Estados”. 2015.
Dispinível em: <http://www.ibge.gov.br/estadosat/>. Acesso em: 02 abr. 2015
JMP®, Version 11. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, 1989-2015.
QUEIROZ, V. S.; LUZ E.; LEITE, L. C.; e CÍRIO, S. M. “Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda, Fasciolidae): estudo
epidemiológico nos municípios de Bocaiúva do Sul e Tunos do Paraná (Brasil)”. Acta Biológica Paranaense,
Curitiba, 31:99-111. 2002
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Página - 3 - de 3