Sarmah P C, Laha R, Bhattacharjee K, Goswami A, Raquib M, Kakati P
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2014 Jan;45(1):26-30.
The practice of eating rumen flukes of cattle by a section of people living in Meghalaya, a north eastern State of India, is reported in this communication. Economically backward, some rural people belonging to Khasi, Jaintia, Garo, and Karbi tribes of Christian and Nepali communities who eat beef are accustomed to consuming cooked flukes during breakfast, meals, and also along with rice beer or alcohol. Inspection of the rumens of cattle during slaughter indicated a prevalence of flukes belonging to Cotylophoron, Paramphistomum, Calicophoron, Gastrothylax, and Fischoederius genera in 74% cases, and their collection from rumen ranged approximately from 50 g to 600 g. Biochemical analysis of flukes found 12.60% total protein, 0.78% fat, and 0.87% ash on fresh weight basis. High prevalence of flukes, easy visualization in rumen, their bulk collection, presence of nutritive value, absence of any ill effect, and lack of imminent danger of transmissibility are believed to be the rationales influencing their consumption by people. It is suggested that dietary benefits obtained from flukes might contribute to the energy transfer and inclusion in the food web.
本文报道了印度东北部梅加拉亚邦一部分人的习俗，即食用牛的瘤胃吸虫。一些经济落后的喀西族、占蒂亚族、加罗族以及基督教和尼泊尔社区的卡尔比族的农村食牛肉者，习惯在早餐、正餐时以及与米酒或酒精一起食用煮熟的吸虫。屠宰时对牛瘤胃的检查表明，74%的病例中存在属于杯殖属、同盘属、杯殖属、腹袋属和菲氏属的吸虫，从瘤胃中收集到的吸虫重量约为50克至600克。对吸虫的生化分析发现，以鲜重计，总蛋白含量为12.60%，脂肪含量为0.78%，灰分含量为0.87%。吸虫的高流行率、在瘤胃中易于观察到、大量收集、具有营养价值、没有任何不良影响以及不存在迫在眉睫的传播危险，被认为是影响人们食用吸虫的原因。有人认为，从吸虫中获得的饮食益处可能有助于能量转移并融入食物网。
