Short communication: Prevalence of hydatidosis in sheep and goats slaughtered at Damaturu Abattoir, Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Parasitic diseases including hydatidosis are limiting factor in food animal production and hampers the realization of meat supply to meet the ever increasing demand for animal protein by human population (Srivastava et al., 1983). Hydatidosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease caused by the metacestode (hydatid cyst) stage of the dog tapeworm Echinicoccus granulosus (Soulsby, 1982). The parasite, E. granulosus has little host specificity with regard to intermediate hosts, hydatid cysts have been seen in a wide range of mammals, including domestic ruminants, camels, giraffes, pigs, equines, elephants, hippopotamuses, marsupials and different types of deer, as well as humans (FAO, 1982; Raush, 1986). The lungs and liver are the most favoured predilection sites for the developing cyst (CAB International, 1989; Schantz, 1990; Biu and Abagwe, 2001). The parasite is world wide and besides the associated economic losses due to livestock mortality, morbidity, and organ and meat condemnation at meat inspection, hydatidosis also poses a serious threat to public health where close association exists between dogs, man, and food animals (Blaha, 1989).
Prevalence studies of the disease have been carried out in India (Srivastava et al., 1983), Cairo (Thompson 1986) and in some states in Nigeria (Arene, 1985; Dada and Belino, 1987; Ajogi et al., 1995; Adamu and Ajogi, 1998; Biu and Adindu ,2004). However, there is paucity of information on the disease in Yobe state, thus this study was designed to determine the prevalence of the disease in sheep and goats slaughtered for public consumption at Damaturu abattoir between 2003 and 2006 so as to know the trend of the disease. Because the disease is a parasitic zoonosis the findings can be used to plan for the reduction of the problem in small ruminants thereby reducing the incidence in human population.