History of fluke on the farm

The risk of fluke disease occurring is greatest on farms where there is a history of fluke infection. Even then, for fluke to become a problem on the farm, conditions must be right for infection to establish and for transmission to occur. Flukes are not transmitted directly between sheep or cattle and need the presence of a certain species of mud snail, which act as intermediate hosts in which fluke development occurs.  Snails can only be infected if suitable snail habitats are present on the farm, and infected livestock contaminate the “fluky” areas. If conditions are right, then infected snails shed motile stages that become resistant cysts, which can then infect any livestock grazing the contaminated areas.