title: Hydatidosis of food animals in Greece: prevalence of cysts containing viable protoscoleces.
abstract: The viability rate of hydatid cysts was investigated in animals slaughtered in the abattoir of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Two hundred sheep (100% infection rate), 106 cattle (56.6% infected), 203 pigs (9.3%) and 52 goats (15.4%) were examined. All fertile cysts contained viable protoscoleces. In sheep there was a mean of 1.1 (29.8% of total cysts) fertile cysts per animal containing 297.3 (81.3%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 82.3% and in the liver 71.2%. In cattle there was a mean of 0.1 (6.6% of total) fertile cysts per animal containing 46.4 (72.2%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 69.5 and in the liver 87. In swine there was a mean of 0.02 (9.5% of total) fertile cysts per animal containing 32.0 (76.8%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 97.1 and in the liver 68.9. In goats there was a mean of 0.1 (12.5% of total) fertile cysts per animal containing 12 (54.6%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 54.4% but no fertile cysts were found in the liver.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Veterinary Faculty, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Himonas
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Antoniadou-Sotiriadou
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005502:Food; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006041:Goats; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000469:parasitology; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*