Prevalence and Distribution of Sarcocystis in Buffaloes and Sheep in Egypt

Abstract

Sarcocystis spp. is cyst forming protozoa that contains more than 200 species and belong to the phylum Apicomplexa. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in buffalo and sheep carcasses slaughtered in Egypt macroscopically and microscopically. For this purpose, a total of 400 buffalo and sheep carcasses were examined at Tanta abattoir, Egypt for the detection of Sarcocystis spp. from July 2020 to June 2021. The results revealed that the prevalence of macroscopic sarcocysts was 26.5% in slaughtered buffaloes and 0% in slaughtered sheep, while the prevalence of microscopic sarcocysts was 56% in slaughtered buffaloes and 80.5% in slaughtered sheep. The prevalence of sarcocysts in old buffaloes and sheep was higher than in young buffaloes and sheep. The most affected organs with microscopic sarcocysts were the oesophagus followed by the tongue, masseter muscle, skeletal muscles and finally heart. The obtained results confirmed that the examined buffaloes and sheep are infected with Sarcocystis species due to the abundance of final hosts, especially dogs and cats that encourage the spreading of infection by this protozoan parasite. Therefore, efficient cooking of buffalo meat is highly recommended before serving to humans.