Prevalence of Linguatula Serrata in Ruminants Slaughtered in Zaria, Kaduna and Kano Metropolitan Abattoirs, Nigeria
Prevalence of Linguatula Serrata in Ruminants Slaughtered in Zaria, Kaduna and Kano Metropolitan Abattoirs, Nigeria.
Abstract
Linguatula serrata is a zoonotic parasite in humans, which causes Linguatulosis. The disease occurs in two forms – visceral and nasopharyngeal.
Dog and other carnivorous are the main definitive hosts while most herbivores, including domestic ruminants serve as intermediate hosts for Linguatula serrata.
The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of nymphal stages of Linguatula serrata in mesenteric lymph nodes of ruminant slaughtered in Zaria, Kaduna and Kano abattoirs.
A total of 600 samples were collected, consisting of 100 each of mesenteric lymph nodes of camels, cattle, sheep and goats from Kano, 100 goats from Zaria and 100 goats from Kaduna abattoirs. Eight (1.3%) were found to be infected with Linguatula serrata nymphs.
The results showed that 3% of camels were infected with Linguatula serrata and there was no association between sex (P=0.576), body condition score (P=0.640) and L. serrata infection in camels.
The infection rate of Linguatula serrata nymph in goats in Kano, Kaduna and Zaria were 1%, 2% and 2% respectively, and the overall prevalence in goats being 1.7%, while cattle and sheep were all negative (0%) for Linguatula serrata nymph.
There was no significant association between age (P=0.197), breed (P=0.513), sex (P=0.180), and body condition score of goats (P=0.797) and Linguatula serrata nymphal infection, but there was a significant association between age and L. serrata infection in camels (P= 0.030).
Introduction
1.1 Background of Study
Pentastomiasis is a parasitic zoonosis that is caused by larval stages (nymphs) of pentastome species.
They are parasites with the unique phylum which has characteristics of both arthropods and annelids (Muller 2002; Lavrov et al., 2004; Mehlhorn. 2004).
It is also called Halzoun syndrome in Middle East and Marrara syndrome in Sudan (Mehlhorn 2004).
The species of tongue worms infecting humans are currently classified as Porocephalida: they include Linguatula serrata and Armillifer armillatus (Baird et al., 1988).
Linguatulosis (linguatuliasis) is a disease that is caused as a result of body invasion by worm-like parasites of the genus Linguatula. Dogs, cats and other wild canines are the main definitive hosts for the parasite while herbivores such as sheep, goats and cattle serve as intermediate hosts.
The organism inhabit the upper respiratory tract of terrestrial carnivores and other vertebrates like reptiles and birds (Koehsler, et al., 2011).
Human infection is often contracted through ingestion of contaminated food and may manifest as nasopharyngeal, visceral, or ocular forms (Lazo.1999; Siavashi.2002). L. serrata commonly resides within the nasal passages of canines and felines and occasionally humans.
The symptoms in humans are nasopharyngitis, violent coughing, asphyxiation, edematous congestion of gums, tonsils and Eustachian tube, aural pruritus, deafness, frontal headache, sneezing, lacrimation, coryza.
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