Prevalence of extra-intestinal porcine helminth infections and assessment of sanitary conditions of pig slaughter slabs in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania
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Date
2010
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
A study was carried out to establish the preva-
lence of extra-intestinal porcine helminth infections and to
assess the pig slaughter slab sanitary conditions in Dar es
Salaam city, Tanzania. A total of 24 privately owned pig
slaughter slabs were assessed. All slaughter slabs were sub-
standard; wrongly located, poorly designed and constructed
and lacked most basic requirements for a slaughter house.
Because of inadequate slaughtering, disposal and cleaning
facilities, the slaughter slabs were under unhygienic
condition with questionable safety, soundness and whole-
someness of the pork produced. Routine meat inspection
procedures were used to detect extra-intestinal porcine
helminth infections. Of the 731 examined pigs; 8.1%, 5.9%
and 0.4% were infected with ascariosis, porcine cysticer-
cosis and hydatidosis, respectively. It was noted that almost
all slaughter pigs in Dar es Salaam originated from different
regions. Based on the region of origin, the status of porcine
cysticercosis was 8.2% for Dodoma (n=98), 8.2% for
Manyara (n=260) and 6.9% for Mbeya (n=116). This study
disclosed the unhygienic sanitary condition prevailing in
Dar es Salaam pig slaughter slabs and recommends that
strategies should be devised to improve the situation.
Porcine ascariosis and cysticercosis were widely prevalent
and caused economic losses due to condemnations. Be-
cause of their zoonotic nature, the observed extra-intestinal
porcine helminth infections in pig pose a public health risk among consumers. Thus, there is a need to introduce
appropriate control measures of parasitic infections in pigs.
Description
Keywords
Pig slaughter, Sanitary conditions, Cysticercosis, Echinococcosis, Ascariosis