A study on the prevalence, distribution and economic importance of Cysticercus tenuicollis in visceral organs of small ruminants slaughtered at an abattoir in Ethiopia

Abstract

This study reports on detection and prevalence of Cysticercus tenuicollis in slaughtered sheep and goats at abattoirs 
of Ethiopia. A total of 1152 sheep and goats (576 sheep and 576 goats) were randomly sampled and examined 
postmortem after slaughter for presence of C. tenuicollis in the visceral organs of the animals using standard meat 
inspection procedures. Out of 1152 animals examined 127 livers were destroyed as a consequence of gross lesions 
induced by the C. tenuicollis. The economical loss is estimated to be 65,269.89 USD or 1,044,317.79 ETB per year. Out 
of the 576 goats and 576 sheep inspected for visceral organs, C. tenuicollis was found in 63.9% of goats (n=368) and 
56.8% of sheep (n=327), respectively. Adult goats (68.8%) and sheep (61.5%) were more infested than kids (59.03%) 
and lambs (52.1%), respectively. Goats (68.1%) and sheep (60.1%) from highland areas were more infested than goats 
(59.7%) and sheep (53.5%) from lowland areas. This study also shows that C. tenuicollis is more frequently detected in 
the omentum of goats and sheep than any other visceral organs. Appropriate control measures need to be introduced 
to reduce the prevalence of these parasites in small ruminants.