Experimentally induced Fasciola hepatica infections in black-tailed deer

The susceptibility of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) to the common liver fluke (F. hepatica) was studied. Two deer and one sheep comprised each of three experimental groups. Animals in each group were inoculated individually with 250, 500, or 1000 F. hepatica metacercariae. One deer and one sheep given 1000 metacercariae died with lesions consistent with black disease 7 weeks after inoculation. At necropsy 6 or 15 weeks postinoculation, the mean percentage recovery of the inoculum was 38.9% from the deer and 51.9% from the sheep. Fluke eggs recovered from the deer were viable and metacercariae cultured from the eggs were fully infective for sheep. Pathologic changes associated with F. hepatica infection were more severe in the infected deer; consequently, the deer were less resistant to the lethal effects of the parasite than sheep. Considering the experimental results and the fact that naturally acquired common liver fluke infection has been reported infrequently from black-tailed deer, it was concluded that black-tailed deer do not constitute a significant reservoir for F. hepatica in domestic livestock.