Background: Sarcocystis infection is a parasitic zoonosis, which may
cause acute and fatal clinical diseases in susceptible cattle. When raw or
undercooked infected beef is consumed by man, it could result in intestinal
sarcocystosis.
Aim: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of
Sarcocystis infection in slaughtered cattle in Zaria, Nigeria.
Materials and
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in which oesophagus and
diaphragm samples were collected from 200 slaughtered cattle and analysed by
pepsin-hydrochloric acid digestion and stained with Giemsa. Histological
sections of tissues were prepared and stained with haematoxylin and eosin.
Results: Eighty-five (42.5 %) were positive for Sarcocystis species.
Sarcocysts ranged from 228.8 to 1215 µm in length and 46.93 to 114.40 µm in
width. Sarcocysts were all microscopic in nature and 99.0 % had thin cyst wall
(< 1 µm), while 4 % had thick cyst wall (3.61 to 7.22 µm). Sarcocystis cruzi and
S. hominis were the identified species. Age, sex and breed were not determinants
of the infection (p > 0.05). Seventy-five (88.2 %) and 56 (65.9 %) cattle had
sarcocysts in the oesophagus and diaphragm respectively. There was a significant
difference in the distribution of sarcocysts between the oesophagus and
diaphragm (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study has established in the study
area the prevalence of Sarcocystis infection in cattle using tissue digestion
method and histology. The identified species were of veterinary and public
health importance. Keywords: cattle, histology, Nigeria, Sarcocystis,
tissue digestion
