Gastrointestinal Parasites in Working Donkeys (Equus asinus) From Cusco, Peru: First Report of Fasciola hepatica Infection in Equids From Southern Peru

Villafuerte Pancorbo, Milena Alison; Limaymanta Zavala, Ines Milagros; Zárate-Rendón, Daniel A.

doi:10.32598/ARI.81.2.3945

Gastrointestinal Parasites in Working Donkeys (Equus asinus) From Cusco, Peru: First Report of Fasciola hepatica Infection in Equids From Southern Peru

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

¹ Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science Program, Scientific University of the South, Lima, Peru

² Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Animal Science, National Agrarian University La Molina, Lima, Peru

10.32598/ARI.81.2.3945

Abstract

Introduction: Working donkeys (Equus asinus) are rustic animals used in rural communities as a means of transport and cargo. They are raised under grazing conditions with precarious health management, which are conditions that favor the presence of severe parasitoses. The present study aimed to identify gastrointestinal parasites infecting working donkeys from the Colcha-Paruro district, Cusco, Peru, in October 2022.
Materials & Methods: A non-probabilistic convenience sampling method was employed, collecting fecal samples from 26 donkeys. The samples were taken to the Laboratory of Parasitology at the National Agrarian University of La Molina in isothermal boxes with ice packs. Once in the laboratory, samples were analyzed using a modified flotation technique using salt-sugar solution, a modified McMaster method, and the fluke finder. Coprocultures and the Baermann technique were performed to obtain infective larvae (L3) for morphological identification of strongyles.
Results: General results showed a prevalence of 100% (26/26) for strongyles. Infective larvae identified were 100% cyathostomes. Moreover, 19.2% (5/26) were positive for Fasciola hepatica and 7.7% (2/26) for Parascaris spp.
Conclusion: Our study underscores the need for more effective parasite control strategies to improve the health status of working donkeys, to reduce the impact of these infections on their welfare and to consider these animals in human fascioliasis control programs from a OneHealth perspective. This study constitutes the second report in Peru of natural infection with Fasciola hepatica in donkeys, and the first one for the southern region. This finding suggests their possible role in the epidemiology of fasciolosis in the area, including a role in zoonotic infection. The high prevalence of cyathostomes reported confirms the importance of these strongyles in grass-fed equines and indicates deficiencies in health protocols. Future studies on possible anthelmintic resistance are recommended.

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