Prevalence of hydatidosis and fertility of hydatid cyst in slaughtered camels in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the presence of hydatid cyst disease in slaughtered camels at the Maiduguri metropolitan abattoir. Four hundred and four (404) camels (162 males and 242 females) were examined at post mortem by visual inspection and palpation for evidence of cystic hydatidosis and fertility of the cyst. The prevalence was determined based on the sex and location of the cyst. An overall prevalence of 7 (1.73%) was recorded. Based on sex, 2 (1.20%) and 5 (2.10%) were found for males and females respectively. Location of the cyst shows that lungs were the most predominant site with a value of 7 (100.00%), with none found in the liver and kidneys. The entire collected cysts were fertile and characterized by the presence of protoscoleces. Despite the low prevalence, the zoonotic importance of the disease is still of public health concern. ABSTRACT 299