Prevalence of Fascioliasis and Associated Economic Losses in Cattle Slaughtered at Lira Municipality Abattoir in Northern Uganda

Prevalence of Fascioliasis and Associated Economic Losses in Cattle Slaughtered at Lira Municipality Abattoir in Northern Uganda

Fascioliasis (liver fluke infestation) is one of the most important parasitic diseases affecting cattle, other ruminant animals and humans. Fascioliasis causes large, but usually neglected, economic losses to cattle farmers and traders. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 3; p. 681
Main Authors: Opio, Lawrence George, Abdelfattah, Essam M, Terry, Joshua, Odongo, Steven, Okello, Emmanuel
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 04-03-2021
MDPI
Subjects:
Abattoirs
Age
Agricultural economics
Animal diseases
Animals
Bile ducts
Cattle
Chronology
Dairy cattle
Disease control
Disease transmission
Economic impact
economic loss
Economics
Farmers
Fasciola
fascioliasis
Gallbladder
Growth rate
Health risks
Infections
Infestation
Inspection
Liver
Meat
Meat production
Medical personnel
Milk
Northern Uganda
Parasitic diseases
prevalence
Public health
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Sex
Sheep
Slaughter
Software
Variables
Uganda
prevalence
economic loss
cattle
Northern Uganda
fascioliasis
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Summary:Fascioliasis (liver fluke infestation) is one of the most important parasitic diseases affecting cattle, other ruminant animals and humans. Fascioliasis causes large, but usually neglected, economic losses to cattle farmers and traders. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and associated risks for fascioliasis in slaughter cattle and estimate the financial losses due to liver condemnation at the Lira Municipal abattoir in Uganda. A total of 216 cattle were sampled during the study period. Animal breed and sex were determined by observing the phenotypic characteristics of the animals. Age was determined by assessing the eruption and wearing of permanent teeth. After slaughter, the liver was examined for presence of spp. (liver flukes) by visual inspection, palpation, and incisions. The bile ducts and gall bladder were similarly examined for presence of mature spp. The gross weight and amount of liver trimmed-off due to fluke infestation were determined. Of the 216 liver examined, 65.7% ( = 142) were infested with spp. Cattle that were aged 4-5 years old at the time of slaughter had significantly greater odds (OR = 5.84; CI [2.79-12.22]) of being infested with spp. compared to those that were younger than 3.5 years old. In contrast, cattle that had a body condition score of 3.5 or 4 had lower odds (OR= 0.42; CI [0.21-0.88] and OR = 0.22; CI [0.04-1.10]) of fascioliasis than those with a BCS of 3. Other tested variables including animal origin, breed, sex, and gross weight of the liver had no significant effect on the prevalence of fascioliasis. This study also revealed that the abattoir loses an estimated 38 million UGX annually due to condemnation of -infested liver (one UGX= 0.00027 USD; July 2016). Our study showed that the prevalence of fascioliasis was high in Lira District, Uganda, which results in a large amount of liver being condemned and destroyed, leading to financial losses for affected farmers in the area. Therefore, there is a need to take the necessary preventive measures to control the disease and increase awareness among farmers and medical personnel in the area due to the zoonotic nature of fascioliasis.
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ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani11030681