Investigation of Fasciola hepatica Seropositivity in Forensic Autopsies in the Çukurova Region

Objective: Fasciola hepatica is a parasite that affects ruminant animals and is rarely seen in humans. The agent may cause significant health problems and economic loss as a zoonotic disease. Freshwater plants play an important role for infecting humans with this parasite. Eating watercress, drinking water that contains metacercaria, using contaminated kitchen tools, or consuming green vegetables may cause infestation. Green vegetables and fruits, especially watercress, are grown specifically in the Cukurova region and this puts the population living in this region at risk of developing fasciolosis. For the reason of absence of the seroprevalence studies in autopsies and to determine the prevalence of this region, the aim of this study, is to investigate F. hepatica antibody by the method of IHA blood samples which were taken from autopsy cases in the Çukurova Region. Material and Methods: This study was conducted in Adana Forensic Medicine Department, a center where all forensic autopsies from the cities of Adana, Mersin, Kahramanmaras, Hatay and Osmaniye were performed. There were 94 subjects between the ages of 2-87 years (mean:42.55±SD22.09) and their serum samples were collected for assessment of F. hepatica antibodies via the IHA method. Moreover, we examined the hepatobiliary system for adult parasites. Results: IHA results demonstrated that 13 (13.8%) of the subjects were seropositivite for F. hepatica. During the autopsy, however, mature F. hepatica was not observed in hepatobiliary systems of the subjects. Seropositivity rates in Adana, Mersin, Hatay and Osmaniye were 19.4%, 7.1%, 12.5% and 22.2%, respectively. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating F. hepatica seropositivity in forensic autopsies. Seeing the results, we suggest that more comprehensive epidemiologic research is needed to study this infestation, especially in endemic areas.