Vol. 13, Issue 3 (2024)

Author(s):
Priya MN, Bindu Lakshmanan, Shameem H and Devada K

Abstract:
Intestinal schistosomosis is an economically important disease affecting a large number of animals causing considerable losses in the livestock sector in India. Routine diagnosis based on the clinical symptoms and faecal sample examination for eggs of the parasite usually underestimates the prevalence of the disease. Hence the present research work was undertaken during one year period from August 2017 to September 2018 to assess the accurate prevalence rate of intestinal schistosomosis among cattle. The worms recovered from mesentery of slaughtered cattle brought to Municipal slaughter house, Kuriachira, Thrissur, Kerala were morphologically identified and counted.Out of 152 mesentery samples collected from slaughtered animals, 37 (24.34%) were positive for Schistosoma spindale and one was positive for S. indicum. The study reveals the significance of the infection in cattle and also the necessity of development of a sensitive, specific and rapid diagnostic test for intestinal schistosomosis, as the field level reports are scanty.