Sarcosporidiosis of the Ovine Esophagus: Frequency and Histopathological Identification of the Species Involved in Tiaret, Algeria

Sarcosporidiosis is a common parasitic disease due to protozoa of the Sarcocystis genera. This study, conducted in the Tiaret region of Algeria from September 2018 to April 2019, aimed to determine the global frequency of macrocyst esophageal localization, identify risk factors such as sex and age, and conduct a histopathological study to identify the involved species. The infection's global frequency was 22.77%, the majority of which were sheep over 3 years of age. The females were the most infested compared to the males at 25.13% against 12.20%; the degree of infection was important at 9.31 cysts per infested case. The histopathological study revealed that S. gigantea, whose definitive host is cat, was the causative species of macroscopic Sarcosporidiosis. However, another species with a microscopic character has been revealed during this study; it's S. tenella. The association between the two species was 31%. To conclude, more control is needed in order to reduce this infection in the study region through the destruction of seizures at the slaughterhouse level and hygiene at the farm level.