Nongcula Vikhaya Vincent, Zhou Leocadia, Nhundu Kenneth, Jaja Ishmael Festus
Department of Livestock and Pasture Science, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
Animals (Basel). 2017 Oct 30;7(11):80. doi: 10.3390/ani7110080.
It is estimated that South Africa's population will be above 65 million in 2050. Thus, food production needs to triple to alleviate poverty and food insecurity. However, infectious and non-infectious diseases affect livestock productivity, thereby hampering food supply. Non-infectious disease/conditions caused by the consumption of solid waste material are rarely reported. Hence, this study investigates the occurrence and type of indigestible foreign objects (IFOs) in the stomach of slaughtered cattle in two high-throughput abattoirs ( = 4424) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study revealed that metallic and non-metallic indigestible objects had an overall prevalence of 63% in cattle slaughtered in Queenstown abattoir (QTA, ( = 1906)) and 64.8% at the East London abattoir (ELA, ( = 2518)). Most of the IFOs were found in the rumen (64.2% and 70.8%) and reticulum (28.5% and 20.6%) at QTA and ELA respectively. The leading IFOs in the stomach of cattle at QTA were plastics (27.7%), poly bezoars (10.7%) and ropes (10.7%), while poly bezoars (19.8%), ropes (17.6%) and stones (10.7%) were the main IFOs seen in cattle at ELA. The study showed a statistical significance ( < 0.05) between body condition score and the prevalence of indigestible objects in cattle. The study concluded that litter and waste containing IFOs could pose a threat to livestock health and productivity. The practice of good animal husbandry and efficient solid waste management will mitigate the problem of animals consuming IFOs.
据估计，到2050年南非人口将超过6500万。因此，粮食产量需要增至三倍，以缓解贫困和粮食不安全问题。然而，传染病和非传染病影响着牲畜的生产力，从而阻碍了粮食供应。由食用固体废物引起的非传染病/状况鲜有报道。因此，本研究调查了南非东开普省两家高通量屠宰场（n = 4424）宰杀牛胃中难消化异物（IFO）的发生情况和类型。研究表明，在皇后镇屠宰场（QTA，n = 1906）宰杀的牛中，金属和非金属难消化物体的总体患病率为63%，在东伦敦屠宰场（ELA，n = 2518）为64.8%。在QTA和ELA，大多数IFO分别在瘤胃（64.2%和70.8%）和网胃（28.5%和20.6%）中被发现。QTA牛胃中主要的IFO是塑料（27.7%）、多胃石（10.7%）和绳索（10.7%），而ELA牛中主要的IFO是多胃石（19.8%）、绳索（17.6%）和石头（10.7%）。研究表明，牛的体况评分与难消化物体的患病率之间存在统计学意义（P < 0.05）。研究得出结论，含有IFO的垃圾和废物可能对牲畜健康和生产力构成威胁。良好的畜牧管理和有效的固体废物管理做法将减轻动物食用IFO的问题。
