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.

Key words: Abattoir, Cysticercus tenuicollis, Ethiopia, goats, sheep, prevalence.