Biochemical Markers of Liver Damage in Cattle Naturally Infected with Fasciola Hepatica

Fascioliasis is a worldwide spread parasitic disease with a high impact on the economy and public health in many countries. Therefore, it is important to apply prevention, effective treatment, and education campaigns, to prevent the disease. This work aimed to determine the biochemical markers of liver damage caused by Fasciola hepatica during 21 days (D0 – D21) post albendazole (ABZ) therapy in the blood sera. This study included 24 cows naturally infected with Fasciola hepatica, randomly divided into a control group (n = 12) and a group treated per os with ABZ (7.5 mg per kg body weight) (n = 12). The activity of hepatic enzymes – aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and cholestatic enzymes – gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were measured in both groups. The activity of AST has significantly increased in the course of the experiment (D0 – D21) in both groups (P < 0.001). ALT activity during D0 – D21 was significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.001). Activity of GGT was not significantly changed in the control group in the course of the experiment (P > 0.05). Contrarily, the activity of GGT in the treated group was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) during D0 – D21. The activity of GGT in the blood sera of the treated group was significantly lower in comparison with the control group in D7 and D21 (P < 0.01). This decreased GGT activity in the blood sera of the treated group may be caused by the effect of albendazole resulting in fasciola elimination and bile flow improvement. The results of ALP determination show no significant changes in ALP activity between groups. This can lead to the conclusion that the most useful marker of cholestasis caused by F. hepatica is the GGT activity and may help to evaluate the ABZ therapy effect in cattle.