Harmful parasite could spark GLOBAL WIPE OUT of livestock is increasing - scientists WARN
CATTLE or sheep could be consuming a dangerous parasite while they graze. But what is the harmful parasite that could spark a global wipe out of livestock that scientists are warning is increasing?
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Farmers are reportedly losing £300 million annually in the UK and $3 billion globally due to losing animals infected by a parasite called liver fluke.
Climate change is being blamed for the prevalence of the parasite, according to scientists at the University of Bristol.
The parasite is said to be present in pastures where livestock in farms in the UK and across the world graze.
The liver fluke develops in the liver of infected animals and cause a disease called fascioliasis.
So far, research into the parasite has focused on rainfall estimates and temperature.
However, this has not included how levels of soil moisture play a part in the life-cycle of the parasite.
Monitoring liver fluke has also difficult for scientists due warmer climates affecting crop growth.
Now the Bristol team believe they have developed a new tool for farmers to help lower the risk of their livestock being infected.
The new model looks specifically at environmental factors which could be causing an increase in the parasite.
This includes soil moisture and will help farmers work out which areas to avoid putting their livestock.
The model can also be used to assess how future climates will impact infection levels, as well as tips on how to reduce further disease risk.
Ludovica Beltrame, one of the study's researchers from Bristol's School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said: "In recent decades, the prevalence of liver fluke has increased from 48 to 72 per cent in UK dairy herds.
“This new tool will help farmers in managing the risk associated with liver fluke and offers a more robust approach to modelling future climate change impacts."
Professor Thorsten Wagener from Bristol's Cabot Institute added: "Water-related diseases can be difficult to eradicate using medicine alone, as resistance to available drugs is increasing.
“We need predictive models of disease risk that quantify how strongly infection risk is controlled by our rapidly changing environment to develop alternative intervention strategies."