Prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in meat-producing ruminants in Kashan, Central Iran.

Abstract

Sarcocystis is one of the most prevalent protozoan parasites that infect many domestic and wild animals worldwide. Ruminants as one of the sources of meat products for the human are exposed to contamination with these parasites. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Sarcocystis in slaughtered ruminants, using the histology method in the Kashan region, central Iran. In this cross- sectional study, 96 heart muscle samples, including 29 samples from cattle, 36 from sheep, and 31 from camel (approximately 5-10 g in weight), were randomly collected from the slaughterhouse of Kashan. The samples were subsequently, preserved in 10% formalin for histological processing and staining using haematoxylin and eosin stain. In total, Sarcocystis cyst was found in 72 (75 %) out of 96 animal heart samples. The prevalence of Sarcocystis infection was 100%, 97.2%, and 25.8% in cattle, sheep, and camel, respectively. The present study showed a high prevalence of infection to Sarcocystis in ruminants slaughtered in Kashan similar to another region of Iran. So, the conduct of preventive measures for the reduction of animal infection is recommended.