Hematological performance of cattle infected by trematodes in a humid warm climate of Mexico

Cattle husbandry in Mexico is highly important in the country's economy. In the tropic, one of the main health problems that affect production is internal parasites, which can cause economic losses due to the reduction in the weight gain of the animals. The presence of trematodes, such as Fasciola hepatica causes the confiscation of livers in slaughterhouses; while paramphistomids affect the optimum animal development. The objective of the study was to establish the relation between the hematological values and the presence of trematodes in cattle, in a warm humid climate of Mexico. For such purpose, feces samples were taken from 194 bovines (cows and bulls), from which a feces analysis was made. The study was conducted between October and December, 2018. From the visits to 10 production farms located in the region of the Tabasco and Chiapas states, the data with which the statistical analyses were made to determine frequency and prevalence, were obtained. As a result, the general prevalence of trematodes was 40,2 %, which corresponded to 78 infected animals from a total of 194. The presence of trematodes did not affect the hematological composition of the sampled cattle. It is concluded that, in spite of the high prevalence of trematodes in the region, the hematological values were among the normal ones indicated for cattle from tropical zones. Keywords: Fasciola hepatica, Paramphistomidae, parasites