Abstract

MARTINEZ SANCHEZ, Raydel; DOMENECH CANETE, Ingrid; MILLAN MARCELO, Juan Carlos  and  PINO SANTOS, Adonis. Fascioliasis, clinical-epidemiological review and diagnosis. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2012, vol.50, n.1, pp.88-96. ISSN 1561-3003.

The fascioliasis is a parasitic infection caused by tremadotes of Fasciola genre and the more frequent species is Fasciola hepatica which is distributed in all continents and to infecting many mammals, including the man. To complete its life cycle, this trematode needs an intermediate host, represented by a mollusk from Lymnaeidae family. In Cuba two species are known: Fossaria cubensis and Pseudosuccinea columella. The clinical manifestations are not specific and varied according to the disease phase, acute, latent or chronic. The certainty diagnosis of the human fascioliasis is based in the finding that the parasite eggs present in feces or in duodenal fluid of parasitized individual. Other immuno-enzymatic methods have been developed allowing a great approaching to diagnosis of this entity. The epidemiological situation of this parasitosis has change in past years. From 1980 the figure of notifications of infected persons has significantly increase in some zones. In Cuba it behaves as an enzootic disease of bovine cattle and account for many loss in livestock and food industries allowing to consider it as a zoonotic disease a great economic significance and of great medical-veterinary interest. Yearly human cases are diagnosed like outbreaks or sporadic cases, thus each day the need of attention to prevention and diagnosis of this parasitosis is reinforced.

Keywords : Fasciola hepatica; fascioliasis; epidemiology.