Acute visceral cysticercosis in lambs of Northern Iran

Subject Areas : Parasitology

Nasrollah Vahedi Nouri ¹ , Javad Abbasi Harazi ² , Alireza Salehi ³

1 - Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
2 - Department of Parasitology, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
3 - Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Babol Branch, Babol, Iran

Received: 2023-11-29 Accepted : 2024-01-21 Published : 2024-01-21

Keywords: Visceral Cysticercosis, Lambs, Praziquantel, Northern Iran,

Abstract :

Cysticercus tenuicollis is the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia. It is a tapeworm that primarily infects dogs and other canids as its definitive hosts, and various ungulates (such as sheep, goats, and pigs) as intermediate hosts. The larval stage, Cysticercus tenuicollis, develops in the intermediate hosts. The present study examined the causes of death in 14 lamb flocks, which were infected with acute cysticercosis in Mazandaran Province. The causative agent was Cysticercus tenuicollis, the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia hydatigena. This study examined instances of acute visceral cysticercosis in 14 lamb flocks located within Mazandaran Province. This parasitic infection was associated with mortality rates varying between 20% and 45% among the flocks, with a mean of 29%. A complete postmortem examination showed the presence of Cysticercus tenuicollis in internal organs such as the liver, lungs, heart, and diaphragm of lambs. Examination of the feces of herding dogs showed the presence of eggs and gravid proglottids consistent with those of Taenia hydatigena. Praziquantel was used for the treatment of both infected lambs and herding dogs. Based on our findings, it was concluded that the main source of infection was the infected stray dogs.

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