Investigation of spp. in slaughtered cattle and sheep by peptic digestion and histological examination in Sulaimani Province, Iraq.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Sarcocystosis is a zoonotic infection caused by various species of organisms with a worldwide geographic distribution. This study investigated the presence of organisms in cattle and sheep slaughtered at an abattoir in Sulaimani Province in North Iraq.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 130 muscle samples were collected during May, June, and July of 2020, including 80 samples from sheep and 50 samples from cattle. Samples were examined visually for macrosarcocysts. The peptic digestion method was used to analyze fresh muscle tissue samples for detecting microsarcocysts followed by microscopic examination. Furthermore, muscle samples were fixed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological examination.

RESULTS

In the gross examination, macroscopic cysts were not detected in both cattle and sheep; hence, all the prevalence data were obtained through microscopic observation of muscle samples. The peptic digestion method revealed the presence of banana-shaped bradyzoites in 90% and 92.5% of slaughtered cattle and sheep muscle samples, respectively. Organ-wise prevalence revealed that 95% and 92% of esophageal samples of sheep and cattle contained spp., respectively Moreover, 90% and 88% of sheep and cattle diaphragms were respectively infected. Histopathological examination of tissue sections revealed two morphologically distinct types of microsarcocysts, including thin-walled and thick-walled, in both sheep and cattle.

CONCLUSION

The suspected spp. were and in sheep and and or in cattle. Infective stages of different spp. are widespread in the study area environment.