Parasitic causes of organ condemnation in cattle slaughtered in Fako abattoirs, South-West region of Cameroon, and estimate of financial losses.

An abattoir study was carried out between May and October 2016 to determine the parasitic causes of organ condemnation during meat inspection and to evaluate the attendant financial losses in Fako abattoirs, in the South-West region of Cameroon. Organs (liver, lungs, heart, tongue, kidney, spleen and intestine) were examined at meat inspection following standard procedures and the financial loss was estimated by considering the total weight of condemned organs and the price per kilogram of marketable organs, obtained from the local market. The organs of 1472 cattle were examined, of which 357 (24.38%) were condemned. The organs condemned because of parasitic infestations were the liver (333) and small intestine (24), and the infections were caused by flukes of Fasciola sp. and proglottids of Moniezia sp., respectively. Hydatid cysts and cysticerci were absent. The prevalence of fasciolosis and monieziosis was 22.62% and 1.63%, respectively. Condemnation deprived the region of 665.457 kg of meat, with an associated financial loss of CFA 1,330,902 (USD 2505), during the study period. Parasitic diseases worsen the food insecurity situation as they result in the withdrawal of a considerable amount of meat from the food chain. Fasciolosis, the leading parasitic cause of meat condemnation in Fako, is also zoonotic. It is therefore important that effective control measures are implemented countrywide against this parasitosis.

Prevalence and husbandry-related risk factors of myiasis in domestic cavies in the western highlands of Cameroon.

The presence of parasites on the farm can be a cause of losses in animal production, and often a threat to public health. A cross-sectional study was carried out in rural areas of the western highlands of Cameroon to determine the prevalence and husbandry-related risk factors associated with Cordylobia anthropophaga infestations in domestic cavies. The overall prevalence of myiasis in animals was 2·80% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·50-5·10]; myiasis was found in 2% and 4·30% animals in Menoua and Bamboutos divisions, respectively. Eleven farms (8·95%) in total were infested with C. anthropophaga, with 6·41% and 13·34% of farms in the Menoua and Bamboutos divisions, respectively. The relative risk of infestation within each factor showed that the risk of myiasis in animals kept in kitchen compartments without litter was 6·16 times higher (95% CI 1·71-22·29, P = 0·04) than in animals kept in kitchens and house floors. Despite the low prevalence, the burden of cordylobiasis needs to be assessed. It is assumed that the risk of humans acquiring the disease is higher in farmers keeping cavies in kitchen compartments without litter. Farmers need to be educated on control measures to reduce the risk of infestation, which include both sanitation and medical (larvae extraction) measures.

Geographical distribution modelling for Neospora caninum and Coxiella burnetii infections in dairy cattle farms in northeastern Spain.

Maximum entropy ecological niche modelling and spatial scan statistic were utilized to predict the geographical range and to investigate clusters of infections for Neospora caninum and Coxiella burnetii in dairy cattle farms in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, using the Maxent and SaTScan programs, respectively. The geographical distribution of Neospora and Coxiella with the highest level of probability (P > 0·60) covers central Catalonia and spreads towards northeastern Catalonia which contains a high concentration of dairy cattle farms. The most important environmental factor that contributed to the ecological niche modelling was precipitation of driest month followed by elevation. Significant clusters (P < 0·001) were detected for Neospora and Coxiella infections in the western and eastern regions of Catalonia, respectively.

Risk factors and geospatial modelling for the presence of Fasciola hepatica infection in sheep and goat farms in the Greek temperate Mediterranean environment.

Risk factors related to herd and farmer status, farm and pasture management, and environmental factors derived by satellite data were examined for their association with the prevalence of F. hepatica in sheep and goat farms in Thessaly, Greece. Twelve farms (16.2%) and 58 farms (78.4%) of 74 had evidence of infection using coproantigen and serology respectively. The average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of farm location for 12 months before sampling was the most significant environmental risk factor for F. hepatica infection based on high seropositivity. The risk of infection increased by 1% when the value of NDVI increased by 0.01 degree. A geospatial map was constructed to show the relative risk (RR) of Fasciola infection in sheep and goat farms in Thessaly. In addition, geospatial maps of the model-based predicted RR for the presence of Fasciola infection in farms in Thessaly and the entire area of Greece were constructed from the developed model based on NDVI. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that Thessaly should be regarded as an endemic region for Fasciola infection and it represents the first prediction model of Fasciola infection in small ruminants in the Mediterranean basin.