TITLE:
Prevalence and characterization of hydatidosis in animals slaughtered at Al Taif abattoir, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
AUTHORS:
Firas Mahmoud Faleh Hayajneh, Abdulrahman Mahmuod H. Althomali, Abdelrahman T. M. Nasr
KEYWORDS:
Sheep; Goat; Hydatidosis; Al Taif; Echinococcus granulossus
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
17,
2014
ABSTRACT: Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval
stage of Echinococcus granulosus, hydatidosis an important
helminthzoonosis affecting sheep in the world. Hydatidosis is a wellknown
disease in third world countries, especially in rural communities where humans
live in close contact with domestic animals and dogs. Dogs act as intermediate
hosts. The Al Taif city is about 90 kilometers away from mecca the holy city.
In each year, millions of sheep and goats are slaughtered during the pilgrimage
season. It is very important to assess the prevalence of hydatidosis since it
can be transmitted through dogs which act as definitive hosts for the parasite.
This study aims to determine the prevalence of hydatidosis and the fertility/sterility
rates of hydatid cysts in sheep and goats slaughtered in Taif Abattoir, Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia. In this study, 1098 sheep and 296 goats were examined; 162
(13.5%) sheep and 18 (6.1%) goats were found harboring hydatid cysts. In goats 6% were harboring hydaated cyst, and 76%
of the goat were of local origin. Differences in prevalence rates were highly
significant (p