[Fascioliasis in moufflons]

Subacute fascioliasis was diagnosed by pathomorphological and parasitological investigations on 13 dead moufflons (Ovis ammon musimon) from a herd of 21 animals (mortality 62%) which had succumbed between January and April 1988. The flock had been kept on meadow in the so-called Leipziger Auenwald. The main findings like severe hepatitis traumatica fasciolosa, fibrinous and fibrous perihepatitis, chronic interstitial hepatitis (pseudocirrhosis), cholangitis fasciolosa (X 13), wasting (X 8), heart dilatation (X 10), lung oedema (X 12), anemia (X 5), ascites (X 3), gut oedema (X 3) and occasionally observed lesions are described in detail and discussed with regard to diagnosis and pathogenicity. Beside severe infection with Fasciola hepatica (juvenile and adult flukes) the parasitological investigation demonstrated, in some cases, various additional but unimportant infections with protostrongylids, gastro-intestinal nematodes, coccidia (X 2) and Moniezia expansa (X 1). The analysis of meteorological data (January 1987 till March 1988) established optimal conditions for F. hepatica development stages and Galba truncatula so that high multiplication and infection rates of the snails and long surviving of metacercariae must be assumed.