Prevalence of fasciolosis in livestock and humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis in Iran

Fasciolosis is a re-emerging disease of livestock and rarely human, being endemic in Iran. Herein, we aimed to quantitatively assess the human seropositivity and prevalence of animal fasciolosis in our country. English and Persian databases were searched for online literature. In total, 10 human seroprevalence studies and 49 animal investigations were obtained from January 1999 to March 2019. Only animal studies were included in meta-analysis. The highest human seroprevalence was detected in Guilan province (326/452; 50%). The pooled prevalence of the animal infections was calculated as 6.2% (95% CI=5.8%-6.5%). In detail, the prevalence ranges in three hosts included as 4.2% (95% CI=3.8%-4.5%) in sheep, 9% (95% CI=8.0%-9.9%) in cattle and 3.1% (95% CI=2.4%-3.7%) in goat. The highest prevalence rate was observed in the north, 11.8% (95% CI=8.4%-15.1%), while the lowest prevalence was detected in the central Iran with 1.8% (95% CI=1.3%-2.3%). Egger's regression test revealed no significant publication bias (P=0.307). Also, there was no remarkable correlation between weighted prevalence and sample size (P=0.249) as well as year of study (P=0.172). These findings would be necessary for better preventive strategies in case of human and animal Fasciola infections as well as snail intermediate hosts.