Bacteriological Quality Of Carcasses Of Animals Affected With Fascioliasis

Abstract

Parasitic worms are responsible for a certain number of deaths of food animals, in many cases their deleterious effects are more insidious and lead to debility and digestive or respiratory disturbance with retardation of growth and loss of condition, meat and wool. Fasciola may affect the animal host in various ways: by sucking blood, robbing the host offood, continued absorption of toxic products and mechanical injury of the host's tissue (Gracey & Collins, 1992). Fasciola hepatica is the common liver fluke and is distributed almost universally throughout the world. It has been reported to be transmissible to man (WHO, 1957). The presence of such parasite m liver tissue causes swelling,

congestion of the organ associated with hepatitis, besides adhesion of the liver to the diaphragm and omentum. The presence of fluke in the bile ducts results in irritation and particularly atrophy cirrhosis, formation of connective tissue in the wall of bile ducts and its surrounding liver tissues. Such changes in liver tissues usually render it unfit for human consumption and consequently necessitate condemnation. Liver tissue is very important for human nutrition due to its high quality animal protein (29.5 %) fat (15.9%), carbohydrates (4%) and its high energy supply (285 calories I 100 gm). Moreover, it contains appreciable amount of preformed vitamins A, B and D (Thorp and Tenes 1964) . Fasciola plays an important role in the microbial invasion of the

infected animals either by transportation or by depressing the vital