Veterinary case
A goat hid 255 gallstones linked to liver flukes
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A goat at the slaughterhouse hid a liver full of flatworms and a gallbladder packed with 255 stones.
What happened?
During a routine slaughterhouse inspection in Bangladesh, vets examined the liver of a two-and-a-half-year-old goat. The liver looked abnormal, swollen and covered with whitish patches. They decided to open it fully in the lab to understand what was happening.
What did the vet find?
When opening the liver, vets found swollen areas and white patches of fibrosis across the whole surface. Inside, pocket-like cavities appeared filled with adult flukes and a foul-smelling dark fluid. In total, 94 adult flukes were removed from the liver and bile ducts. The gallbladder was swollen, and upon opening it, vets found 255 stones of various sizes, whitish and crumbly, some stuck to the wall.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
No treatment was possible because the goat's condition was discovered after slaughter, during laboratory examination of the liver. Vets could only dissect and analyze the organ to understand the disease.
What happened next?
Analysis confirmed the parasite was Fasciola gigantica, and microscopic examination of the gallbladder wall showed major inflammation. This is the first known case of gallstones in a goat linked to this liver fluke.
Advice for the farmer
To avoid this kind of massive infestation, limit goats' access to wet grazing areas where fluke-carrying snails live, and have the herd dewormed regularly by a veterinarian.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Cholelithiasis in a goat associated with chronic fascioliosis in Bangladesh: A case report and review of literatures.
- Authors
- Ali MH, Labony SS, Hossain MS, Alam MM, Khan MAHNA, Khan MAHNA, Alim MA, Anisuzzaman.
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1002/vms3.1476
- Licence
- CC BY
