Prevalence and Risk Factors of Ovine and Caprine Fasciolosis in the Last 20 Years in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Fasciolia hepatica and Fasciola gigantica are widespread and found in the liver and bile ducts of ruminant animals and humans, which poses a major problem in animal husbandry. There are many studies on the prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis in China, but the overall prevalence of fasciolosis and the risk factors are still unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of ovine and caprine fasciolosis in China. The pooled prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis was 26.00%. Out of all the subgroups, the type of season and sampling years showed the most significant (p < 0.05) differences. The results indicated that ovine and caprine fasciolosis was widely distributed, especially in Northwestern China. The risk factors related to the disease are described in this study. Therefore, strategies for ovine and caprine fasciolosis control can be developed based on the epidemic risk factors that are identified in this study, which will thus reduce the prevalence of fasciolosis in China. ABSTRACT: Fasciolosis is a significant zoonotic and common parasitic disease for animals and humans, creating public health concerns worldwide. This study retrieved articles related to the occurrence of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica in sheep and goats in China by searching five databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, and the VIP Chinese Journal Database. A total of 60 valid articles were captured. The pooled prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis was 26.00%. It was also found to be higher in the subgroups of Northwest China and Shaanxi Province, as well as in areas with a high altitude, rainfall of ≥800 mm, and temperature ranging between 10 °C and 20 °C. Analysis of the type of season and sampling years showed significant (p < 0.05) difference. In other subgroups, sheep (34.74%), hosts aged over 2 years (32.26%), females (48.33%) and free-range animals (26.83%) showed a higher disease prevalence. These results indicated that ovine and caprine fasciolosis was widely distributed, especially in Northwest China. The sampling years and the type of season are risk factors for the prevalence of ovine and caprine fasciolosis. Therefore, strategies for ovine and caprine fasciolosis control should be developed based on these epidemic risk factors, which will reduce the prevalence of fasciolosis in China.