A report of Sarcocystis in the imported buffalo meats

Background: Sarcocystis organisms are cyst-forming parasites with a high prevalence rate in livestock of most parts of the world. Humans may be infected through consumption of raw or undercooked meats and show clinical signs such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Some species of the parasite can be seen by naked eyes in meat inspection procedures. The cysts are present in striated muscles with different sizes and result in partial or total condemnation of infected meats through meat inspection. The present study reports infection of the imported buffalo meats with macroscopic sarcocystis. Methods: A total of ۲۰۵ buffalo meats were imported. Deep cuts of the skeletal muscles of the meats were inspected macroscopically in order to find typical fusiform-shaped cysts of sarcocystis. Results: After accurate inspection, ۲۰.۹% of the meats were infected with ۱-۳ macroscopic cysts. Conclusion: This report indicated a relatively high rate of infection in the inspected Indian meats, though the number of cysts in each segment was low. Other studies have shown a high prevalence of Sarcocystis among livestock in India (۸۷%). On the other hand, Sarcocystis is the most common protozoan in buffaloes and the prevalence is higher than in cattle. These both conditions were included in the present study's meats and as sarcocystis is a zoonotic parasite, carcasses should be inspected carefully in slaughterhouses. According to our results, it is important to inspect meats especially those which are imported from India and proper tests should be conducted for microscopic cysts.

کلیدواژه ها:

Buffalo ، Human ، India ، Inspection ، Sarcocystis