A surveillance study on condemnation of ruminant's livers and lungs due to common disease conditions in Kerbala abattoirs

Abstract EN

A slaughterhouse study was conducted in Kerbala abattoirs during the period of January 2012 to December 2012 in order to determine the condemnation rate of liver and lungs of slaughtered ruminants due to common notifiable diseases.

Diseases and lesions of livers and lungs were diagnosed based on pathological changes of organ color, size, morphology, consistency, presence of lesions and parasites.

Out of 89571 heads of slaughtered sheep, goats, cattle and buffaloes which were examined during this study, a partial or complete condemnation of livers and lungs was carried out in 1114 (1.24 %), 259 (0.29 %), 392 (0.44 %), 587 (0.66 %) and 327 (0.37 %) of the slaughtered animals due to hydatidosis, fascioliasis, lung worms, pneumonia and hepatitis respectively.

The highest infection rate of the condemned livers in slaughtered ruminants was due to hydatid cysts 660 (0.74 %), followed by hepatitis 327 (0.36 %) and liver fluke 259 (0.29 %), with a significant difference between condemned livers in the animal species (P < 0.05).

The livers of 0.69 % sheep, 0.84 % goats, 0.87 % cattle and 1.03 % buffaloes harbored hydatid cysts.

However, lungs of slaughtered ruminants were frequently rejected due to pneumonia (0.66 %), followed by hydatid cyst (0.51 %) and lung worms (0.44 %).

The findings of the current study revealed that condemnation of sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo's livers and lungs in Kerbala abattoirs due to parasitic infestation and pathological lesions representing significant economic losses.

Accordingly, efforts should be spent for minimizing the prevalence of these diseases through destruction of intermediate hosts, deworming program and good animal husbandry.