The Veterinary Record 157:188 (2005)
© 2005 British Veterinary Association
Estimating the financial losses due to bovine fasciolosis in Switzerland
G. Schweizer, DrMedVet1,
U. Braun, DrMedVet1,
P. Deplazes, DrMedVet2 and
P. R. Torgerson, PhD, BA, VetMB, MRCVS2
1 Department of Farm Animals, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260,
CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
2 Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of
Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
In dairy cattle in Switzerland, the prevalence of infection with
Fasciola hepatica is over 16 per cent. Previous studies have
suggested that even subclinical infections with liver fluke may induce
significant reductions in the performance of cattle. The financial losses
attributable to F hepatica were estimated using a simple spreadsheet
model to sum the individual losses that have been suggested in the literature.
Because there is substantial variability in these production losses, Monte
Carlo sampling techniques were used to model this variability. Each cost item
and each data item related to the prevalence of F hepatica was
assigned a mathematical distribution which took account of the variability of
the experimental data and/or the sample size of the data. A total of 10,000
simulations were undertaken, with each item randomly varied through its
mathematical distribution on each simulation. The results suggest that the
median financial loss due to bovine fasciolosis in Switzerland is
approximately 
52 million, with probable 95 per cent confidence limits
ranging from 22 million to 92 million per annum, which represents
a median loss of 299 per infected animal. Most of the losses arise from
reduced milk yield and reduced fertility, and smaller losses are due to
reduced meat production and the condemnation of livers.
Copyright © 2005 British Veterinary Association
