New liver fluke test a winner

NSW Department of Primary Industries has adopted the new French Institute Pourquier ELISA test kit to test for liver fluke infections in serum from cattle and sheep.

The test is highly sensitive at 99 per cent and can detect new infections within two weeks after they start. The test is suitable for herd screening as well as for individual animal testing.

Liver fluke is estimated to cause an average loss of 5pc of production and graziers spend around $20 million annually on chemical treatments.

In cattle, losses include reduced milk production and quality as well as lower growth and feed conversion rates in fattening cattle. Signs of infection include jaundice, ill-thrift, anaemia and 'bottle jaw' (oedema under the jaw). Testing for liver fluke should be an integral part of a control program for properties in fluke prone areas.

Meat & Livestock Australia funded the validation of the test.

The Department is also working on validating the test to use vat milk samples to test for liver fluke and hopes to have this part of the test up and running in the next few months.

This will make on-farm sampling easier and help reduce the cost of herd screening to around $30.

Media contact: Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory 4640 6366