ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Bovine cysticercosis is defined as a foodborne parasitic zoonotic disease of cattle caused by the larval stage of the human tapeworm Taenia saginata. In Botswana, bovine cysticercosis has inflicted major economic consequences on the beef industry due to downgrading, condemnation, or treatment of infected carcasses. Thus, in this study, we aim to (1) estimate the prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in Botswana's southeastern districts, (2) describe the distribution of bovine cysticercosis through geospatial mapping, and (3) investigate the effect of seasonality on bovine cysticercosis occurrence. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using abattoir records of cattle slaughtered from August 2015 to July 2016. In total, 13 licensed non-export abattoirs were selected for this study, wherein 26,827 cattle were slaughtered during this period. Detection of cysticerci from the carcass and offal was carried out by meat inspectors visually during meat inspection. Prevalence of bovine cysticercosis was calculated for the extension areas and veterinary districts for each month and form there used to establish its distribution and seasonality. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Results: The prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in the southeastern districts of Botswana during this study period was determined to be 6.2%. The prevalence in the veterinary districts differed significantly at p<=0.000. Seasonality did not have a significant (p=0.651) effect on the prevalence of bovine cysticercosis. Geospatially, areas with greater than 8% prevalence were mainly located in the southernmost part of the study area. Conclusion: The prevalence of bovine cysticercosis was 6.2% during the study period. No previous studies on cysticerci prevalence in the study area was conducted; thus, it was not possible to determine whether there has been an increase or decrease in terms of prevalence rate. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as a baseline for the prevalence of cysticerci in the study area.
ABSTRACT
The article "No evidence of Trichinella spp. in domestic pig carcasses at a selected abattoir in southern Botswana", written by Basiamisi Ernest Segwagwe et al., was originally published electronically with open access. The authors decided to step back from Open Choice and trasnferred the copyright to the publisher.
ABSTRACT
Trichinellosis is a worldwide zoonosis with genotypes affecting different domestic and wild animals and is widely distributed throughout the world. Species and genotypes of this genus affecting different animals have been identified. Despite its occurrence in Sub-Saharan countries, the presence of trichinellosis in Botswana is yet to be confirmed. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Trichinella infection in domestic pigs slaughtered at an abattoir in Gaborone, Botswana. Of the 111 pig carcasses selected, 5 g of crus of the diaphragm was collected from each carcass, trimmed of all fat and fascia and then cut into 1- to 2-g samples. The muscle samples were pooled into 100-g muscle sample and then processed by the OIE prescribed digestion method. A stereomicroscope was used to examine each grid of the Petri dish for the presence of Trichinella larvae. No Trichinella larvae were found in any digested muscle samples. Future studies should target a wider pig population and other host animals.
