Viscera seizure due to fascioliasis and cystic echinococcosis in cattle, sheep and goats slaughtered in Apurimac, Peru

Objective. To determine the percentage of infection of fascioliasis and cystic echinococcosis; also, the impact of the seizure of viscera in ruminants slaughtered in the municipal slaughterhouse of Abancay, Peru. Materials and methods. The study was basic, cross-sectional, and analytical. It included all the ruminants slaughtered in the slaughterhouse, from September to December 2012. The live weight of the ruminants was determined, in addition to the weight of their healthy and infected viscera. The economic loss for the seizure of viscera was estimated. The data analysis was performed using the Excel Windows 2010 program and the MINITAB version 17 statistical package. The Chi-square test was used to determine differences between proportions and the t test for equality of means, using a confidence level of 95 %. Results. The percentage of infection with fascioliasis was 79.6% (95% CI = 77.7-81.6) in cattle, 53.2% (95% CI =48.9-57.4) in sheep, and 21% (95% CI =16.1-25.8) in goats. The percentage of infection with cystic echinococcosis was 5.4% (95% CI = 4.3-6.6) in cattle, 16.7% (95% CI =13.5-19.7) in sheep and 12.4% (95% CI =8.4-16.3) in goats. The economic loss in the study season was USD 16,507.46. Conclusions. The presence of liver fluke affects the weight of the livers in cattle and sheep; in addition, the hydatid cyst affects the weight of the liver in all ruminants studied and affects the weight of the lungs in sheep and goats. The greatest economic loss was due to seizure of livers due to fascioliasis, especially in cattle.