Prevalence of Sarcocystis Species in Naturally Infected Ruminants and Pigs in Benue State, Nigeria

Sarcocystosis is a neglected food-borne disease, which affects domesticated and commercialized animals such as cattle, pigs and goats and is of public health concern. This study was carried out during the dry season, to investigate the prevalence of Sarcocystis species in Benue State. One thousand two hundred (1200) tissue samples, comprising of tongue, oesophagus, heart and skeletal muscle were collected randomly from five hundred (500) cattle, five hundred (500) goats and two hundred (200) pigs, respectively. Their ages ranged from <2 to > 2 years, both males and females. A gross examination of the four organs was performed to detect macrocysts. The samples were subsequently, preserved in 10% formalin for histological processing and staining using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. The processed tissues were examined under a microscope, to detect microcysts. The results showed that there were no macrocysts in the tissues by observation with the naked eye. However, microscopic results showed Sarcocysts shapes of two distinct types: elongated or fusiform and oval with high intensity of up to 17 cysts in a sample. Of the 1200 tissues, 220 (18.33%) were infected with Sarcocystis species. The infection rate in the animals showed that cattle and goats were 91 (18.20%) each and pigs 38 (19.00%), with no significant difference (P=0.97). Also, there was no significant difference in sex, tissues, breed, and location (P>0.05), but the infection was significantly associated with the age of the animals (P<0.05) when analysed generally. Parameters such as location in cattle and pigs (P=0.04) and age in goats (0.0002) were significantly associated with infection. The results indicate that Sarcocystisspecies infection is widely distributed in animals slaughtered for meat in Benue State. We, therefore, suggest that further studies on molecular analysis be conducted to identify species of Sarcocystis that may be of economic and zoonotic importance, to provide better control strategies in this region.