Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants
A multiple regression model was used to analyse if the structure of vegetation and soil patches in grazed units (pastures) can be used as explanatory variables to predict the prevalence of <em>Dicrocoelium dendriticum</em>, a common parasite of cattle and sheep, in grazing cattle stocks...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PAGEPress Publications
2011-11-01
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| Series: | Geospatial Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.geospatialhealth.net/index.php/gh/article/view/164 |
| _version_ | 1819111007010684928 |
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| author | Börje Ekstam Beatha Johansson Patrik Dinnétz Patrik Ellström |
| author_facet | Börje Ekstam Beatha Johansson Patrik Dinnétz Patrik Ellström |
| author_sort | Börje Ekstam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A multiple regression model was used to analyse if the structure of vegetation and soil patches in grazed units (pastures) can be used as explanatory variables to predict the prevalence of <em>Dicrocoelium dendriticum</em>, a common parasite of cattle and sheep, in grazing cattle stocks on the Baltic island of Öland in southern Sweden. The scale dependency was evaluated by comparing three levels of spatial resolution of patches. Prevalence data were obtained from slaughtered animals. Our models predict that the prevalence of <em>D. dendriticum</em> increases in grazed areas with woody vegetation, whereas moist and wet areas decrease parasite prevalence. The predictive power of the statistical models increased with increasing level of patch resolution. Approximately 42% of the variation in parasite prevalence (angular transformation) was explained by the areal proportion of vegetation types (4th-root-transformed). Based on the results obtained, we believe that our model strategy provides a rational and systematic tool to identify habitats that carry risk for <em>D. dendriticum</em> infection of ruminants, and that it can be applied to other parasites with similar life cycles such as <em>Fasciola hepatica</em>. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T03:50:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57b1249f0f0d42e5ba371fc29461ffcd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1827-1987 1970-7096 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T03:50:46Z |
| publishDate | 2011-11-01 |
| publisher | PAGEPress Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geospatial Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-57b1249f0f0d42e5ba371fc29461ffcd2022-12-21T18:39:59ZengPAGEPress PublicationsGeospatial Health1827-19871970-70962011-11-016112513110.4081/gh.2011.164164Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminantsBörje Ekstam0Beatha Johansson1Patrik Dinnétz2Patrik Ellström3School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, KalmarSection for Zoonotic Ecology and Epidemiology, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, KalmarSchool of Life Sciences, Södertörn University, HuddingeSection for Zoonotic Ecology and Epidemiology, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar; Clinical Bacteriology, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, UppsalaA multiple regression model was used to analyse if the structure of vegetation and soil patches in grazed units (pastures) can be used as explanatory variables to predict the prevalence of <em>Dicrocoelium dendriticum</em>, a common parasite of cattle and sheep, in grazing cattle stocks on the Baltic island of Öland in southern Sweden. The scale dependency was evaluated by comparing three levels of spatial resolution of patches. Prevalence data were obtained from slaughtered animals. Our models predict that the prevalence of <em>D. dendriticum</em> increases in grazed areas with woody vegetation, whereas moist and wet areas decrease parasite prevalence. The predictive power of the statistical models increased with increasing level of patch resolution. Approximately 42% of the variation in parasite prevalence (angular transformation) was explained by the areal proportion of vegetation types (4th-root-transformed). Based on the results obtained, we believe that our model strategy provides a rational and systematic tool to identify habitats that carry risk for <em>D. dendriticum</em> infection of ruminants, and that it can be applied to other parasites with similar life cycles such as <em>Fasciola hepatica</em>.http://www.geospatialhealth.net/index.php/gh/article/view/164cattle, vegetation type, parasite transmission, multiple regression, landscape ecology. |
| spellingShingle | Börje Ekstam Beatha Johansson Patrik Dinnétz Patrik Ellström Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants Geospatial Health cattle, vegetation type, parasite transmission, multiple regression, landscape ecology. |
| title | Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants |
| title_full | Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants |
| title_fullStr | Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants |
| title_short | Predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants |
| title_sort | predicting risk habitats for the transmission of the small liver fluke dicrocoelium dendriticum to grazing ruminants |
| topic | cattle, vegetation type, parasite transmission, multiple regression, landscape ecology. |
| url | http://www.geospatialhealth.net/index.php/gh/article/view/164 |
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