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==Description==

==Description==

[[Image:Fasciola hepatica ruminant.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Fasciola  hepatica'' - Joaquim Castellà Veterinary Parasitology Universitat  Autònoma de Barcelona]]

[[Image:Fasciola hepatica ruminant.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Fasciola  hepatica'' - Joaquim Castellà Veterinary Parasitology Universitat  Autònoma de Barcelona]]

[[Image:Fasciola  hepatica.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Fasciola hepatica'' -  Wikimedia Commons]]

[[Image:Fasciola  hepatica.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Fasciola hepatica''. Source: Wikimedia Commons; Author:Adam Cuerden(2007)]]

Fasciolosis is a condition of ruminants which causes subclinical and clinical disease leading to ill thrift and deaths. The causative organism is the trematode ''[[Fasciola hepatica]]'' which primarily parasitises the bile ducts of sheep and cattle but may occasionally be found in the horse. ''Lymnaea truncatula'', a mud snail, is the intermediate host of ''[[Fasciola hepatica]]'', and transmission of disease is dependent on the presence of appropriate snail habitats. These habitats are more plentiful in areas of high rainfall, such as the western British Isles. However, infected animals may be found outwith these areas due to the transportation of livestock, or unusual weather patterns. The association of fasciolosis with wetter habitats lends a seasonal nature to disease outbreaks, and can help predict the severity of these.

Fasciolosis is a condition of ruminants which causes subclinical and clinical disease leading to ill thrift and deaths. The causative organism is the trematode ''[[Fasciola hepatica]]'' which primarily parasitises the bile ducts of sheep and cattle but may occasionally be found in the horse. ''Lymnaea truncatula'', a mud snail, is the intermediate host of ''[[Fasciola hepatica]]'', and transmission of disease is dependent on the presence of appropriate snail habitats. These habitats are more plentiful in areas of high rainfall, such as the western British Isles. However, infected animals may be found outwith these areas due to the transportation of livestock, or unusual weather patterns. The association of fasciolosis with wetter habitats lends a seasonal nature to disease outbreaks, and can help predict the severity of these.