Seroprevalance of Fascioliasis in Bolu province

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica, known as liver fluke in society, that mainly causes infection in ruminants and rarely colonizes to infect liver and bile duct in human. In the present study, it was aimed to determine seroprevalence of Fasciola hepatica in humans in Bolu using ELISA method, and to provide information for clinicians. For this purpose, we collected total of 363 blood samples either from voluntary individuals of various ages, gender and occupation in Bolu, with signed Voluntary Disclosure Forms. Fasciola hepatica antibodies were investigated using ELISA method after extraction of sera from blood samples in the laboratory of Medicine Faculty of Abant İzzet Baysal University. As a result of the examination, 16 of 363 (4.4 %) cases were found seropositive. Seropositivity were detected as 2.0% in women, as 7.5% in men. Amongst the individuals from whom blood samples were taken, seropositivity was detected in two (1.7%) of the ones below 40-year-old, and in 12 (6.0%) of the ones over 40. No significant differences were found between groups according to age, gender and occupation in terms of presence of Fasciola hepatica using the chi-square test. In conclusion, it has been considered that prevalance of fasciolosis is high, and is still a public health problem, that there is need for taking attention for water plant consumption and cleaning in order to protect from this disease, and it is concluded that clinicians should not over look this disease. Keywords: Fasciola hepatica, seroprevalence, ELISA, Bolu.