Echinococcosis in Libya. IV. Prevalence of hydatidosis (<i>Echinococcus granulosus</i>) in goats, cattle and camels

Abstract

During a survey of 14 Libyan abattoirs in 1985-1987 the carcasses of 4316 locally-bred goats, cattle and camels were inspected for cysts of Echinococcus granulosus. Of 2295 goats, 35 adults (1.5%) had cysts; no kids were infected. Thirty-one adult goats had infected livers, 28 had lung infections, and four each had cysts in their kidneys and spleens. Most (59.7%) of the infections were light, with medium infections in 31.3% and heavy infections in 8.9%; 85.7% of the cysts in the lungs and 38.7% of those in the livers were fertile; three of the four kidney infections and two of the four spleen infections were fertile. Of the 1023 cattle carcasses, mild infections with E. granulosus were seen in 55 (5.4%); all the cysts were sterile and confined to the liver. Of 998 camels, 358 (35.9%) had hydatid cysts. These involved the lungs in 96.9%, either as the sole site (74.3%) or jointly with the liver (22.6%). Lung cysts (57.6%) and liver cysts (41.2%) were fertile.