Prevalence and distribution patterns of Sarcocysts in cattle carcasses slaughtered at the municipal abattoir of Tanta, Egypt.

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Food hygiene . Faculty of veterinary medecine. Banha university. Toukh . Eygypt

Abstract

species are cyst-forming protozoa belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. The genus Sarcocystis contains more than two hundred species characterized by global geographic distribution. A total of 200 cattle carcasses (100 males and 100 females) were examined in Tanta abattoir, Egypt for detection of sarcocysts during the period from July 2020 to June 2021. Results revealed that the prevalence of macrosarcocysts in cattle carcasses was 0%, while the prevalence of microsarcocysts was 52% (41% in males and 63% in females). The prevalence of microsarcocysts in old cattle was higher than in young cattle. The most affected organ with microscopic sarcocysts in cattle was the oesophagus (50%) followed by the tongue (47%), masseter muscle (40.5%), skeletal muscles (39.5%) and finally heart (36%). The obtained results confirmed that cattle in the region of Tanta, Egypt are infected with Sarcocystis species because of the abundance of definitive hosts, mainly dogs and cats that promote the dispersion of infection by this parasite.

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