Epidemiological Surveillance of Hypodermosis in Cattle from Romania

Hypodermosis, or warble fly, is an endemic parasitic disease, common in countries from the northern hemisphere. The use of effective insecticides has decreased the frequency of this parasitic disease, with untreated cattle remaining to act as reservoirs. This study focused on assessing the status of hypodermosis in northwestern Romania by means of clinical examination (skin inspection and palpation performed in order to identify nodules) conducted on a number of 11.741 cattle. The study was carried out from March until June 2021. The identified larvae were subject to molecular assays for species identification and genotyping, followed by comparison with data available in the GenBank database. The average prevalence rate of parasitism caused by Hypoderma spp. was 0.31%, with values ranging from a minimum of 0.11% to a maximum of 1.32%. The dominant age group among positive animals was the 1-3 years old category and in terms of breed distribution, most positive cases were seen in cows belonging to an indigenous breed: Bruna de Maramures. April was the most prolific month in terms of nodule count/animal. The species identified in our study by means of molecular assays was H. bovis with two haplotypes: HB3 and HB8.