Spatiotemporal analysis of fasciolosis in cattle in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Abstract

Fasciolosis is caused by the fluke Fasciola hepatica in Brazil, which has a worldwide distribution and affects the bile ducts and liver parenchyma of several species of mammals, especially ruminants, and humans, configuring the disease as a zoonosis and generating a risk to global public health. In Brazil, the disease is considered endemic to some regions, mainly the South and Southeast, with emphasis on high rates in ruminants in the state of Espírito Santo. The present study aimed to carry out a spatio-temporal analysis of fasciolosis in ruminants in the state of Espírito Santo, from 2018 to 2023, based on slaughter maps carried out by the State Inspection Service (SIE) and Federal Inspection Service (SIF). Descriptive analysis, cross correlation and linear regression was carried out regarding the slaughterhouses and climate data and spatial distribution of notifications were represented in maps by the QGIS 3.28.1 program, using data from geographic bases made available by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The average annual frequencies of bovine fasciolosis for animals slaughtered under federal and state inspection were 0.829% and 5.53%, with a total average frequency of 4.35%. Results reveal differences between federal and state inspection and found a positive correlation between number of fasciolosis cases and rainfall. In an analysis from 2006 to 2023, a slaughterhouse in the South region presented an average frequency of 19.65% of fasciolosis in cattle. The study concluded that the state of Espírito Santo demonstrates a high frequency of fasciolosis in cattle, with the South region standing out with the highest frequency rates in slaughtered cattle, reinforcing the need for control measures for the disease in the region, minimizing the risks to public health as a consequence.