A Cross-Sectional Study Investigating Cystic Hydatidosis in Slaughtered Cattle of Western Province in Zambia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2007 to November 2008 to estimate the prevalence of hydatidosis in slaughtered cattle from two abattoirs in Mongu, Western Province, Zambia, using prospective and retrospective data. Out of the 4061 cattle examined during postmortem inspection, 84 (2.1%) were positive for hydatidosis. No cases were detected from Kaoma and Shangombo districts; however, prevalence ranged from 0.6% to 2.5% in districts where it was present. Sex was found to be positively associated with hydatidosis ( ) with female cattle being more likely to have hydatidosis ( ). In the retrospective study (1994 to 2007), annual prevalence of hydatidosis ranged from 1.56% (n = 12,641) in 2006 to 4.7% ( ) in 2001 with an overall prevalence of 3% (4689/158,456). This value is comparable to that observed in cattle slaughtered between October 2007 and November 2008 (2.1%). Hydatidosis was observed in the lungs (51.2%), liver (47.6%), and kidneys (1.2%). The percentage of viable cysts was 43.7%. This study confirms the presence of hydatidosis in cattle in Western Province of Zambia and estimates economic losses due to organ condemnations. Data presented herein provides a useful baseline for developing policy and intervention measures. 1. Introduction Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a severe zoonosis caused by the cyclophyllidean cestode Echinococcus granulosus. The disease has a worldwide distribution, with endemic regions in many countries of the Mediterranean basin, North and East Africa, Western and Central Asia, China, South America, and Australia [1, 2]. Although the distribution of Echinococcus granulosus is considered worldwide, it is higher in developing countries in tropics and subtropics, especially in rural communities where there is close contact between dogs and various domestic animals [3]. In some western countries, CE is considered as a reemerging zoonosis due to its resurging prevalence [4, 5]. The worldwide distribution of the disease is partly due to the easy adaptability of the parasite to several domestic and wild intermediate hosts [6]. Clinically, there are three broad morphological forms of echinococcosis that are recognized: cystic echinococcosis caused by E. granulosus, alveolar echinococcosis caused by E. multilocularis, and polycystic echinococcosis caused by E. vogeli and E. oligathrus [7–9]. The “sheep” strain (defined as G l on mitochondrial genotypic grounds) is generally considered as the most widespread strain of E. granulosus in the world and the one mainly involved in CE in humans [10]. At least five out of ten