Hepatic dicrocoeliasis in beef cattle slaughtered at abu simbel abattoir [electronic resource]: first slaughter house record in Egypt

Includes bibliographic reference.

Dicrocoelium dendriticum, the small liver fluke, is capable of parasitizing the gall bladder
and liver of various mammalian species, especially ruminants. In Egypt, there was no
previous abattoir-based research concerned with the incidence of dicrocoeliasis. The
objective of our study is to record hepatic dicrocoeliasis in imported beef cattle of Sudanese
origin that were slaughtered at Abu-Simbel abattoir, Aswan Governorate, Egypt and describe
the detailed hepatic gross as well as histopathological changes induced by it. During a period
from December 2020 to October 2021, 1575 liver specimens were examined from which 172
cases showed gross pathological lesions. After collection, affected specimens were fixed in
10% neutral buffer formalin, then they were prepared for histopathological examination. The
recorded incidence of hepatic dicrocoeliasis was 7.5% among the affected cases. The affected
liver showed fibrosis and paleness with irregular yellowish foci on its surface. Fibrous tissue
proliferation was seen surrounding bile ducts. Histopathologically, parasitic eggs were
detected in affected liver tissues where they stimulated a granulomatous inflammatory
reaction with hepatocellular necrosis and infiltrations of neutrophils, eosinophils and giant
cells. Portal fibrosis resulted in the formation of pseudolobules. As a consequence, hepatic
dicrocoeliasis is prevalent in imported Sudanese beef cattle and these animals should be
protected from snail-infected regions and subjected to careful inspection by veterinarians in
slaughterhouses.
Keywords: Liver, Dicrocoeliasis, Imported cattle.

Summary in Arabic