"28 kDa FASCIOLA GIGANTICA CYSTEINE PROTEINASE (FgCL3) BASED SERO-DIAGNOSIS OF BOVINE TROPICAL FASCIOLOSIS IN THE DAIRY ANIMALS OF PUNJAB, INDIA"

Tropical fasciolosis is one of the neglected diseases affecting a large proportion of dairy animals in developing countries like India and its economic assessment has revealed huge production losses in affected animals. Reliability of the traditional diagnostic methods lacking sensitivity in prepatent and chronic cases stipulates early and accurate diagnosis. Serodiagnosis is a fast and reliable diagnostic approach for fasciolosis and improved sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy have been obtained with the purification and use of cysteine proteinases as antigens even in naturally infected animals. The present study has been designed to standardize the cysteine proteinase-based ELISA for the assessment of serological prevalence of tropical fasciolosis in dairy animals of Punjab, India. The study highlights the use of cysteine proteinase over coprological approaches for early detection of fasciolosis in dairy animals to minimize the production losses in dairy animals of the state.