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Heavy Metal Concentrations in Parasitized Cows and Sheep with Echinococcus as Environmental Bioindicators

Heavy metals [Aluminum (Al), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb)] levels in cows and sheep liver samples with or without  Echinococcus infection were studied. These species of parasites are protect their hosts' tissues from the deleterious effects of heavy metals through absorbing them into their bodies, therefore act as environmental bioindicators. Liver samples of cow and sheep were collected from slaughterhouses in Erbiland Koya cities. Parasitized cow liver with Echinococcus parasite had lower levels of toxic metals (Cd, Pb); cadmium levels in infected cows (0.333 ppb) were six times lower than in the uninfected cows (2.17 ppb) (p 0.005). Whereas; lead level (3.447 ppb) was fourteen times as lower as in uninfected sheep (47.72 ppb) (p<0.001). In addition, Arsenic level (7.0 ppb) was more than one time lower than in the uninfected sheep (8.8 ppb). Conversely, cows and sheep with Echinococcosis yielded higher concentrations of other metals in comparison to their uninfected counterparts: Al (159.8 ppb uninf. and 247.7 ppb inf.), (318.7 ppb uninf. and 409.7 ppb inf.), As (4.8 ppb uninf. and 5.84 ppb inf.), and Hg (25.5 ppb uninf. and 26.4 ppb inf.), (25.8 ppb uninf. and 27.27 ppb inf.) for cow and sheep's liver, respectively. This could support the hypothesis that tapeworms are able to absorb toxic heavy metals from the host body into their tissues, as well as to modify other element concentrations in the host body. Conclusively, cows and sheep, as well as the infectious parasite Echinococcus can be exploited as potential accumulation bioindicators of terrestrial environmental pollution with heavy metal (Cd and Pb) and (Al, As and Hg) levels, respectively. Published 01 August 2018 DOI: 10.14500/icaps2018.mim102 http://dx.doi.org/10.14500/icaps2018.mim102