The current role of cattle in transmission of hydatidosis in an endemic area of central Iran

Abstract

Background and aims: Hydatidosis is considered as one of the most important zoonotic parasitic diseases, which has a worldwide distribution with endemic regions in many countries including Iran. The disease has public health and economic importance and its effective control requires sufficient information on the patterns of disease transmission. This study aimed to assess the current role of the cattle as the intermediate host in transmission of the disease and maintain the evolution of hydatidosis. Methods: The study was conducted at Isfahan Fasaran abattoir. From among 129 cattle infected with hydatid cyst, 134 liver and lung cysts were transferred to parasitology laboratory. Data including age, sex, the infected organ, the type of cyst (e.g., fertile, sterile, and calcified), and the severity of infection were evaluated for each of the cattle. Results: Based on the data, 99 (76.7%) of the cases were females and the remaining 30 (23.3%) cases were males, who were in the age range of 5-10 and 2-5 years, respectively. In addition, 385 cysts were found out of the total 134 examined infected livers and lungs and the number of the cysts in infected organs varied between 1 and 14. A significantly higher infection was detected in older cattle (P<0.05) compared to the younger and female ones. Finally, out of the total of 385 collected cysts, 1%, 59.8%, and 39.2% were fertile, sterile, and calcified cysts, respectively. Conclusion: In general, the total rate of cyst fertility was estimated at 1% and it seems that the role of cattle led to a reduction in the transmission of the disease. However, due to the species differences in various areas and the better adaptation of the parasite to some intermediate hosts, further studies including more samples are necessary in different regions.