Retrospective survey of hydatid cyst infection in sheep and cattle based on abattoir data in Al-Najaf province, Iraq

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic zoonotic disease which is highly endemic in Iraq and has an extensive effect on livestock productivity and human health. The current study focused on slaughtered sheep and cattle in Al-Najaf city abattoir, which infected with hydatid cysts from the period between January 2016 till December 2018. The total sheep examined were 244806, in which 3339 were found to be positive for hydatidosis, while in cattle, the total examined number was 59001, in which 887 were found to be positive for hydatidosis. In current study, the prevalence rate was estimated to be 1.49 % for hydatidosis in sheep, whereas in cattle it was 1.60 %. There were no differences between sheep and cattle rate infections. The highest rate of infection in sheep and cattle was observed in April 2.03% and July 1.89 respectively, while the lowest rate was observed in September 1.27% and November 1.04, respectively. Seasonally, the highest infection rate of hydatid cysts was 1.60 % in spring for sheep and 1.77 % in summer for cattle. The findings of this study demonstrated that the prevalence of hydatid cysts infections is generally lower than those reported from other regions of Iraq, and at the same time, it clearly remains prevalent. Hydatid cysts are common and widely distributed in sheep and cattle and they might play an important role in the life cycle and transmission of this zoonosis in Al-Najaf province.