Some parasitic and bacterial causes of liver affections in ruminants

Abstract EN

In the present study, a total number of 1576 livers of ruminants, including cattle (924), sheep (487) and camels (165) were examined for detection of different pathogenic agents.

Among those, a number of 58 cases (3.68 %) were infected with both parasites and bacteria.

Out of this number, 3 cases only (0.19 %) were infected with bacterial species (Lactobacillus lactis lactis), 31 cases (1.97 %) were infected with parasitic stages only and a number of 24 cases (1.52 %) were co-infected with both bacteria and parasites.

Among the bacterial isolates, 11 genera of bacterial species were found in 27 cases.

The obtained results revealed that, all infected cases were cattle.

The most prevalent isolate was Enterococcus species which present in 7 cases (25.92 %) among the totally bacterial infected cases, followed by 5 cases showed Staphylococci (18.52 %), then both genus Escherichia and genus Lactobacillus, each was found in 4 cases (14.81 %) and finally 7 genera including; Enterobacter, Micrococcus, Citrobacter, Aerococcus, Pseudomonas, Chrysomonas and Streptococcus; each was found in a single case with a percentage of 3.70 %.

Concerning the parasitic affections, it has been found that Fasciola species was the most prevalent type of helminthes present in the infected livers.

Among all infected livers, 40 cases (2.54 %) were infected with adult Fasciola gigantica (including 33 cattle and 7 sheep), followed by 8 cases of camels (0.51%) infected with Hydatid cysts, then 4 cases of sheep (0.25 %) infected with Cysticercus tenuicollis and finally 3 cases of sheep (0.19 %) infected with both Fasciola gigantica and Cysticercus tenuicollis.

The results revealed that, a considerable high number of co-infected animals {24 cases 41.38 %) among the totally infected animals} was existed and this reveals that the parasite facilitates the way to the secondary bacterial infection with the end results of hepatic tissue degeneration and necrosis.

So, in abattoirs, great attention must be taken for appropriate evaluation of these pathogenic sources.