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

RESULTS The prevalence of parasitic infections in examination in the period between 1992 and obviously higher in beef cattle than in dairy animals comprised protozoan oocysts and eggs of nematodes, cestodes and trematodes including amphistomes. A higher percentage of beef cattle was found to be infected by amphistomes as compared to dairy cattle (Figs 3 and 4). The prevalence of amphistome infection ranged from 14.0 to 35.8% in dairy cattle while it was as high as 63.3 to 80.0% in beef cattle, and the eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) ranged from 1-1,896 and 1-2,152, respectively. The amphistome-infected animals were concurrently infected with other parasites such as Fasciola spp., strongyles, Moniezia sp. and coccidia (Figs 5 and 6). Of these parasites, liver flukes and strongyles showed a high prevalence throughout the years of study. In dairy and beef cattle without amphistome infection the prevalence of strongyles was rather high (Figs 7 and 8). Concurrent parasites except Strongyloides sp. and Trichuris spp. found in these groups of cattle were similar to those found in the animals infected by amphistomes. The prevalence of adult amphistomes in beef cattle examined at an abattoir from 1991 to 1995 was 46, 41, 39, 30 and 50%, respectively (Fig. 9). dairy and beef cattle, as determined by faecal 1995, is shown in Fig. 2. The prevalence was cattle. Parasites found in the faeces of those % 100 1992 1993 Dairy cattle 1994 199S • Beef cattle Fig. 2. Prevalence of parasitic infections in dairy and beef cattle between 1992 and 1995 amphistomes other parasites amph. + other parasites Fig. 3. Prevalence of amphistome and other concurrent parasitic infections in dairy cattle between 1992 and 1995 DISCUSSION Muangyai (1989) reviewed the parasites of cattle and buffaloes and listed economically important parasites wich included amphistomes. Intestinal amphistomosis has been described as an important disease of young stock in endemic areas (Boray 1959, Horak 1962, Boray 1969, Hanna et al. 1988, Sey 1989). Clinical disease usually develops only when there are massive numbers of immature amphistomes parasitic in the duodenum, causing acute enteritis. The diagnosis may be easily missed because the immature flukes, which cause the clinical signs, do not yet lay eggs. The adult egg-laying flukes appear to exert very little effect on the host animals, and eggs can be usually detected by the faecal sedimentation method.