Il mattatoio come osservatorio epidemiologico, un aspetto negletto (The slaughterhouse as an epidemiological observatory, a neglected task. Updating of bovine endoparasites in Italy)

Introduction - Gastro-intestinal nematodes are important helminth parasites in all animal species. However, they must regarded particularly dangerous in domestic ruminant species, also in relation to consequent economic losses. Aim - The present study focused on providing current data, missing since several decades, on gastro-intestinal nematode parasitic infection, prevalence and epidemiology in adult cattle (dairy and brood cows) bred in Italy. Materials and methods - The survey was performed collecting 427 fecal samples from a bovine slaughterhouse in the province of Bologna (Italy). Samples, obtained from single animals processed, were analyzed by qualitative coprological examinations. From the same animals 100 abomasa were randomly selected and examined by necropsy technique to assess the presence of worm burdens. Results - Gastro-intestinal nematode eggs were detected in 31% of individual fecal samples examined. Evaluation of abomasa exhibited a prevalence of 13% of helminthes. Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus and Cooperia were the isolated genera. The fecal output of nematode eggs was significantly related with the livestock category and the stocking density. Discussion - The influence of livestock category on the occurrence of positive coprological results can be attributed to the condition of animal husbandry: brood cows are often pasture raised. The correlation observed between positive samples and herd size, with intermediate class (50-99 animals) associated with higher prevalence, may be explained by a different effectiveness of hygiene management among classes of stocking density. Conclusions - The study results show that endoparasitic infection by nematodes is a problem that must be considered ubiquitous in Italy in adult cattle, with relatively high prevalence rate. Nevertheless, it seems to be still underestimated by technicians in the field