Studies on the Schistosomes of Domestic Animals in Iran: I. Observations on Ornithobilharzia turkestanicum (Skrjabin, 1913) in Khuzestan

Abstract

O. turkestanicum infection was found to be uniformly distributed in the northern and central parts of Khuzestan (cattle, 30%, sheep, 15%; goats, 7% and buffaloes, 2%). In the southern part of Khuzestan the infection rate was very low. A new technique was devised for exposing large animals by leg immersion in a cercarial suspension in a polythene bag and good infections were obtained by this method. The prepatent period of O. turkestanicum infection in different types of animals varied from 43–46 days. The recovery rates of adult worms were 37.6% in calves, 33.9% in sheep, 22.5% in goats and 9.6% in a buffalo. O. turkestanicum produced a milder pathological response in ruminants than did S. bovis, but is nevertheless of considerable economic importance in Khuzestan.