Research Article

Veterinary

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence and Financial Loss Attributed to Hydatidosis in Cattle Slaughtered at Bahir Dar Municipal Abattior, Bahir Dar, Ethiopi

Hydatidosis is a public health hazard in Ethiopia. The status of the disease in the study districts has not been elucidated. Hence, the current cross-sectional study was designed and conducted from December 2017 to April 2018 in an attempt to determine the prevalence and financial losses associated with bovine hydatidosis on cattle slaughtered at Bahir dar Municipal Abattoir and identify potential risk factors were identified. Applying simple randomly sampling method, both adult and old male cattle animals were selected prior to slaughter. Antemortem and postmortem examination methods were made during the study. During antemortem examination, relevant data including sex, origin of animals (districts), body condition, age and clinical signs were collected. Similarly, postmortem inspection was conducted to examine the existence of hydatid cysts in the organs under study (liver and lungs) for each animal following the standard meat inspection procedures. Of 384 heads of cattle slaughtered and examined, 127 were found positive for Echinococcos granulosus with an overall prevalence of 33.05%, computed by standard statistical methods. No statistically significant association detected between selected risk factors(P> 0.05) and the disease. The prevalence of hydatid cysts by organs included: 46 (11.97%), 45 (11.71%), and 36 (9.375%) for lungs, livers, and both lung and liver, respectively. The annual financial loss due to organ condemnation and live carcass weight loss associated to bovine hydatidosis at the study abattoir was estimated to be 10,531,776.12 ETB/385,496.93USD. The current study has revealed a higher prevalence of bovine hydatidosis in the study districts urging prompted and collaborative actions to be set in place.