Background: Fasciola hepatica is a liver parasite of mammals and it results in poor welfare outcomes and\neconomic losses in ruminants. While faecal egg count is the test most commonly used for diagnosis, it does not\nindicate presence of migrating immature stages. Serological techniques increase sensitivity at all stages of the liver\nfluke infection. The aim of this study was to compare four commercially available ELISA tests for the diagnosis of F.\nhepatica. For this purpose, we tested three sample types; (i) known F. hepatica status sera from an experimental\ninfection for the comparison of sensitivities and specificities, (ii) sera from pre- and post-flukicide-treated\n(albendazole, closantel, nitroxynil and triclabendazole) beef cattle to contrast the differences of seropositivity before\nand after treatment, and (iii) bulk tank milk samples from dairy herds sampled during high and low F. hepatica\nexposure periods for assessing seasonal variations with the four tests available. Samples were tested using ELISA kits\nsupplied by four manufacturers (Ildana Biotech, IDEXX, Svanova, and Bio-X). Samples were analysed simultaneously\nand in duplicate.\nResults: In the control population Ildana, IDEXX and Bio-X presented 100% sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp),\nSvanovir presented a Se of 59% and a Sp of 96%. In flukicide-treated beef cattle, kits highlighted decreasing\nantibody levels 90 days post-treatment in variable degrees. Finally, bulk milk showed a significant decrease in ELISA\nvalue between high and low fluke exposure periods with all tests studied.\nConclusions: Se and Sp found in the present study, confirm that Ildana, IDEXX and Bio-X are accurate for the\ndetection of F. hepatica exposure in Irish cattle. Svanovir Se and Sp in this population, indicate that a larger study is\nnecessary to confirm this test characteristic in Irish herds. In post-treatment use, Bio-X showed a consistent and\nsignificant decrease of ELISA value in all groups treated, denoting to be a reliable tool for assessing treatment effect\nat 90 days post-treatment. Finally, all tests showed to be a reliable tool for the F. hepatica monitoring of high and\nlow exposure seasons, using bulk tank milk samples.
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