Significance of meat inspection in the estimation of economic loss due to Bovine Cysticercosis

The records of meat inspection carried out for 24 consecutive days at the Awka main abattoir in Anambra State, south-eastern Nigeria, was used to estimate the direct economic loss in carcass condemnation due to bovine cysticercosis. Among the 614 cattle slaughtered, 306 (49.8  %) were examined, out of which cysticerci were detected in 61.1  %, 61.1  %, 46.2  %, 45.2  % and 50.7  % of the Massetter, Tongue, Inter-costal, Diaphragmatic and Pectoral muscles from 221 (72.2  %) of infected cattle. This amounted to an estimated loss of N186892.38 in terms of condemnation of cysticerci-infected carcasses. Condemnation due to generalized infection of the specified organs amounted to N109467.50 (58.6 %), while moderately and locally infected organs contributed N28435.08 (15.2 %) and N48989.8 (26.2 %) to the total loss, respectively. This loss was equivalent to 4 heads of cattle in 24 days at N50000 per head, which translated to an annual loss of N2842321.61 or 57 heads of cattle at the Awka main abattoir alone. Since 10000 to 20000 trucks of beef-cattle are reported to be daily transported to abattoirs in different parts of Nigeria, the direct economic loss of revenue in the beef industry on account of cysticercosis would run into billions of naira. This result will promote evidence-based decision on the control of cysticercosis in the country and elsewhere.