Prevalence of Cysticercus tenuicollis in slaughtered sheep and goats by season, sex, age, at Karbala abattoir, Iraq

Objective: The aim of this study is determine the prevalence of Cysticercus tenuicollis in sheep and goats at abattoir in Karbala , Iraq. Methods: The current study was conducted for six months from July to December 2017. The samples were collected from the sheep and goats in Karbala governorate and the work was done in the postgraduate laboratory at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Karbala University. Results: The results of the study showed that the highest rate of infection of sheep and goats in general was higher in the month of September, 42.65%, August, 45.57%,respectly, while the lowest rate in October, November, the rate of 30.91% , 28.40%. respectively. As for the percentage of infection by sex, the rates of infection of males and females for the sheep and goat ranged between29.16% to 38.09% and 20% to 40.65% for males, and for females, the incidence ranged from 25.4% to 47.22% and 36.80% to 50.50%, respectively. In terms of infection rates by age, the proportion of sheep and goats was less than one year 24.86% - 41.64% , 27.20% - 41.95%, while the largest sheep and goat of more year was 26.11% – 43.64 % , 21.42% - 50%, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the study showed no difference in the incidence of infection between males and females, and between less than one year and more than one year.