The veterinary surgeon and taeniid worms of farm animals

Abstract

Extract

The estimated economic loss from condemnations of livers at freezing works, mostly all being due to Echinococcus granulosus infection, amounts to about £1,500,000 per annum on overseas prices for livers. This estimate does not include the potential value from sheep, cattle, and pig lungs for overseas export, but, were these exportable, their value would be quite substantial. Unfortunately, owing to the heavy incidence of worm cysts, this is not possible. Nearly all adult cows and ewes slaughtered at the freezing works are affected. In addition, it has been estimated that about 40 to 50 per cent, of beef cattle, 60 per cent, of lambs, and 20 per cent, of pigs are found at slaughter to show evidence of taeniid infection. While a proportion of lambliver condenmations are due to Taenia hydatigena infection, nearly all the condemnations of adult livers are due to E. granulosus cysts—i.e., hydatid cysts.