Pathological study of acute fasciolosis in goats in Karnataka

The present report pertains to the pathological investigation of anoutbreak of acute fasciolosis in goats in a private goat farm at Mysore, Karnataka. The farm comprised of 125 indigenous goats of all age groups reared under extensive system. Goats started dying without showing any clinical symptoms, except brief period of anorexia. Detailed necropsy was performed on 6 animals died over a span of 15 days. Thecarcasses were severely dehydrated, thin body condition with pallor oral and conjunctival mucosa. Post-mortem examination revealed about 500 ml of serosanguinous fluid and massive blood clots of varying sizesweighing up to of 500-600g in the abdominal cavity of few goats. The fluke migratory tracks were seen with severe haemorrhages on the liver surface. The cut surface of liver parenchyma and bile ducts showed immature liver flukes. The gall bladder was severely distended with blood, and large blood clotsin all the carcasses. The duodenal and large intestinal mucosa was moderately thickened and severely congested and clotted blood in the lumen of entire small intestine. The histological examination of liver exhibited extensive fibrosis, necrosisand haemorrhages with severe infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells, especially surrounding the parasites. There was mild proliferation of bile ducts around dead tissue with migratory tracts of hemosiderin. Pathological investigation confirmed the disease in goats as acute fasciolosis.