A Slaughterhouse Study on Prevalence of Some Helminths of Cattle and Sheep in Malatya Province, Turkey

An abattoir study was carried out on a total of 513 cattle and 1763 sheep slaughtered and examined for the certain helminths in Malatya province, Turkey. In post-mortem examinations, the prevalence rates were as follows; Dicrocoelium dendriticum in 3.85% of sheep and 4.67% of cattle, Fasciola hepatica in 4.42% of sheep and cattle, Paramphistomum sp. in 1.75% of cattle, Cysticercus tenuicollis in 12.13% of sheep, hydatid cyst in 9.1% of sheep and 7.6% of cattle. This study indicated that the prevalence of investigated helminths in cattle and sheep of Malatya were quite lower than expected. The results of this study have positive correlations with the results from some of the studies, which were done in recent years in other provinces or localities of Turkey. It is understood that helminth diseases mentioned above are decreasing in the region, but there is always an outbreak risk of helminth diseases.