Dr. Murai Éva - Gubányi András szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 29-30. (Budapest, 1997)

The results presented here show that the prevalence of amphistome infection was rather high throughout the experiment. The maximum EPG was 2,152. The maximum prevalence was clearly higher in beef than in dairy cattle. The difference in prevalence may be due to ingestion of amphistome metacercariae by dairy cattle during grazing on less contaminated pastures. Contrarily, the high prevalence of amphistomes in beef cattle indicates that the animals may be kept on heavily infected pastures where the intensity of egg contamination is high and snail intermediate hosts occcur in large numbers. Attempts to prevent grazing cattle from becoming infected by amphistomes are economically unfeasible, as almost all beef cattle were found to be infected and since an unusual combination of environmental conditions may lead to an outbreak of the disease. Since the disease is not often diagnosed, economic losses associated with amphistomosis are still unrecognised and underestimated in Thailand. In many fatal cases the immature flukes could not be found and identified due to their very small size. Young animals originating from endemic areas should be inspected carefully at postmortem examination. Also, the detection of intermediate host snails from pastures or water sources may be a useful aid to diagnosis. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors would like to thank the farmers and the members of NIAM for their help in sample collection. Thanks are due to R. Inthararuksa, P. Tanajalearnwat and L. Sukteenthai for assistance and to Dr. S. Soonthornchad for his technical help with the figures. Prasitirat, P. ,Chompoochan, T., Nithiuthai, S., Wongkasemjit, S., Punmamoamg, T., Pongrut, P., Chinone, S. and Itagaki, IL: Thaiföldi szarvasmarhák amphsstoma fertőzöttsége Thaiföldi szarvasmarhák amphistoma fertőzöttségét vizsgálták a szerzők 1991 és 1995 között bélsárminták és előgyomortartalom adatok alapján. A hízómarhák amphistomákkal való fertőzöttsége erőteljesebb volt, mint a tejelő állományoké. További parazitás fertőzöttségét okoztak Fasciola és Moniezia fajok, strongilidák ill. coccidiumok. REFERENCES Boray, J.C. (1959): Studies on intestinal amphistomosis in cattle. —Aust. Vet. J. 35: 282-287. Boray, J.C. (1969): Studies on intestinal paramphistomosis in sheep due to Paramphistomum ichikawai Fukui, 1922. —Vet. Med. Rev. 4: 29-308. Brotowidjoyu, M.D. and Copeman, D.B. (1979): Abattoir survey of bovine paramphistomiasis in North Queensland. —Aust. Vet. J. 55: 402. Chethanon, U., Ausavamatha, P. and Piriyayon, S. (1985): Parasitological survey of cattle in the south of Thailand. — Proceedings of the 4th Annual Livestock Conference, 3-5 July 1985. Department Livestock Development, p. 281-290. Gupta, P.P., Singh, B. and Dutt, S.C. (1978): A note on amphistomiasis in an adult buffalo. —Indian Vet. J. 55: 491^192.