Abstract
This study included recording the natural heavy infection with immature macrocysts (Sarcocysts) of Sarcocytis spp. in sheep. The sheep is one years old which is slaughtered at butcher shop at Mosul city in May 2018. This is the first case recorded of natural infection with immature sarcocysts of Sarcocystis spp. in Mosul city. Many of small nodules were observed during slaughter, these nodules are seen within esophageal muscles in different sizes and shapes, they were distributed randomly throughout esophageal muscles. Most of the sarcosystis were small in size the mean of size between 20- 28×28-42 µm they were histological examination showed that presence of only metrocytes. This confirmed the diagnosis that the sarcocysts were immature macrocysts (sarcocysts) for the Sarcosystis spp. In our study, heavy infected case with Sarcocystis reveals the fact that large numbers of cats(final hosts) in contact with sheep in pastures is considered the main risk factor for infection and feed with raw meat from infected sheep, which is very important for carcass condemnation when the meat inspection when abnormalities are found which indicate that the part of carcass, is unfit for human consumption it is condemned, which means the economic loss for livestock.
Highlights
Sarcosporidiosis that has high prevalence in sheep causes micro and macrocystis in skeletal and cardiac muscle related to the final hosts respectively
The infection of sarcosporidiosis in sheep are not zoonotic but the importance of the infection lies in the carcass condemnation is justified on the basis of the negative visual impact that cysts may have on the consumer [4,5,6,7]
Our study showed that the infection only with heavy immature macrocysts in young sheep at one year old might probably occurred by either ingested of oocysts or sporocysts of Sarcocystis at the same time or at short exposure time with grass contaminated grass with faeces of the infected cats; or due to slow or gradual development of immature macrocysts [13,14] these results confirmed by [15,16,17] who mentioned that immature Sarcocystis developed in the esophagus and tongue from 1.3 to 4 and 6 months post infection in their experimental study with Sarcocystis gigantea and Sarcocystis medusiformis
Summary
Sarcosporidiosis that has high prevalence in sheep causes micro and macrocystis (muscular sarcocysts) in skeletal and cardiac muscle related to the final hosts (dogs or cats) respectively. The Sarcocystis protozoan parasite belong to the phylum Apicomplexa, Family Sarcocystidae and the Sarcocystis species follow an obligatory two hosts life cycle, alternating between an intermediate host (preysheep) and definitive host (predator - dogs or cats). Both Sarcocystis gigantea and Sarcocystis medusiformis are responsible for developmental of macroscopic cysts in muscles of sheep [1,2,3]. The infection of sarcosporidiosis in sheep are not zoonotic but the importance of the infection lies in the carcass condemnation is justified on the basis of the negative visual impact that cysts may have on the consumer [4,5,6,7]
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