title: Seasonal variation in Sarcocystis species infections in goats in northern Iraq.
abstract: We investigated the prevalence of sarcocystosis in 826 goats slaughtered in the winter season from November to April in northern Iraq. The prevalence of macrocysts was on average 34%, with only 20% infected animals in November, but 46% in February. The infection rate in 1-, 3- and 6-year-old goats was 4%, 48%, and 83%, respectively. The highest specificity of infection was in the oesophagus (99%) and the lowest in the diaphragm (3%). Grossly, we identified 2 forms of macroscopic sarcocysts, fat and thin, with different morphological characteristics. The prevalence of microcysts was 97% and no effects of age, sex and seasonal variations were observed. Development of microcysts in the small intestine of dogs and cats has also been investigated. The pre-patent period in experimentally infected dogs was 12-14 days and the patent period lasted 64-66 days. A dog shed about 155 million sporocysts, but no sporocysts were shed by cats that had been fed the same infected tissues, thus identifying the microcysts as Sarcocystis capracanis.
authors.affiliation: Institut I für Anatomie, Universität zu Köln, D-50924 Köln, Germany barham@uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barham
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stützer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Karanis
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Latif
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Neiss
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000469:parasitology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D004947:Esophagus / Q000469:parasitology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D006041:Goats; D007493:Iraq / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000469:parasitology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000469:parasitology; D015995:Prevalence; D012522:Sarcocystis / Q000254:growth & development*; D012523:Sarcocystosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors