[Detection of sarcocystosis in slaughterhouse animals during a veterinary inspection]. / Záchytnost sarkocystózy u jatocných zvierat pri veterinárnej prehliadke.

ABSTRACT

The objective of our study was to acquire objective data on the finds of sarcocystiosis incidence in particular species of farm animals during veterinary inspection and to compare the efficiency of different direct diagnostic methods: compression and digestion methods. The examined and observed animals involved sheep, cattle, pigs and goats slaughtered in the packing plants at Ruzomberok, Rimavská Sobota, Trstená, Sabinov and Kosice. The animals were subjected to regular veterinary inspection including aspection focused on predilection spots of sarcocyst incidence. Sarcocysts were investigated in detail in 353 head of sheep, 27 goats, 350 head of cattle and 1,409 pigs. The examination consisted in inspection of the whole body, of cross-sections of muscles and organs. The rate of sarcocyst invasion in meat as well as the size of cysts were largely variable. The highest incidence in sheep was observed on the inner surface of ventral muscles in the region of diaphragmatic ribs (21.4%) and in the region of intercostal muscles (39.6%). The rate of sarcocyst invasion in the organs was highest in the gullet with cysts of various forms and size (in 47% of sheep). Veterinary inspection of the total number of 27 goats revealed at aspection the presence of macrocysts in eight goats, which makes 29.62%, and in six head of cattle (1.7%) and in 13 pigs (0.9%). Regular finds of sarcocysts on a slaughter line were confronted with direct diagnostic methods: compression and digestion methods (Fig. 1, Tabs. I, II and III). Direct diagnostic method confirmed different results, while only the digestion method--trypsin digestion of muscle--can be considered as diagnostically reliable.