Review Article
Austin J Vet Sci & Anim Husb. 2024; 11(3): 1147.
Major Causes of Organ Condemnation at Yabello Municipal Abattoir
Henok Aytenfsu; Tilaye Demsse; Tewodros Legesse*
Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Ethiopia
*Corresponding author: Tewodros Legesse Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Ethiopia. Email: joelblessing046@gmail.com
Received: April 03, 2024 Accepted: May 10, 2024 Published: May 17, 2024
Abstract
A cross sectional study was conducted from December 2022 up to March 2023 to identify the major causes of organ condemnation in cattle slaughtered at Yabello municipal abattoir. A total of 384 animals were examined for ante mortem and post mortem examination of which 231 (60.15%) animals were found to have different kinds of ante mortem abnormalities. Depression 67 (17.45%), lameness 29 (7.55%), emaciation 23 (5.99%), coughing 22 (5.73%), swelling 19 (4.95%) and respiratory distress 16 (4.17%) were found to be the most common abnormalities encountered in the ante mortem examination of the animals. In post mortem examination liver 157 (40.8%), lung 86 (22.4%), carcass 63 (16.5%), heart 34 (8.8%), Kidney 29 (7.5%) and tongue 15 (3.9%) were condemned due to different post-mortem abnormalities. A significant difference was noticed in the condemnation rate of heart with body condition score, carcass condemnation with ante mortem abnormality and tongue condemnation with ante mortem abnormality with (P-value < 0.05). It could be concluded that the greater condemnation rate of edible parts like liver, kidney, tongue and the carcass cause financial loss. It indirectly influences the food sufficiency or availability. Prevention strategies include frequent deworming to decrease condemnation due to parasite infections should be performed.
Keywords: Ante-mortem abnormalities; Cattle; Organ condemnation; Post-mortem abnormalities
Introduction
The overall cattle population for Ethiopia is estimated to be roughly 70 million. Out of this entire cattle population, the female cattle represent roughly 56 percent and the remaining 44 precent are male cattle [4].
Abattoirs have vital function in surveillance, control, and eradication of illnesses of animal health concern, as well as control, reduction, and prevention of foodborne risks of public health relevance [15]. Abattoirs give information on the epidemiology of illnesses on animals, to measure to what degree the community is exposed to different zoonotic diseases and quantify the financial losses sustained by condemnation of contaminated parts and carcasses [10]. Parasitic infections are seen as a serious health concern and create a large economic loss in nations where cattle production is an important element of the agricultural activity [1].
Before slaughtering, all animals are scrutinized during ante-mortem examination to make sure that they are suitable for human consumption. Signs of infectious or zoonotic illnesses are found as well as indicators of animal welfare being affected. The official veterinarian at the slaughterhouse is responsible for executing the inspection [12]. Monitoring and other factors at slaughter house have been regarded as one technique of determining the disease status of cattle [13]. Ante-mortem inspection usually takes place within 24 hours of arrival at the slaughter house and less than 24 hours before slaughter, or at any other time when the official veterinarian requires it [12].
Post-mortem examination involved visual inspection, palpation and making systemic incision check on organs abnormalities and pathological lesions are differentiated and judged [9].
Each year a large economic loss arises from mortality, condemnation of edible organs and corpses at slaughter. This productivity loss in the cattle business is estimated at more than 900 million USD yearly countrywide [7]. Determination of the cause and magnitude of organ and carcass condemnation in abattoirs and proper evaluation of associated economic loss are needed where economic realities often determine the type and scope of preventive measures to be used [10].
Proper care of animals is not just a question of welfare but also an issue of meat quality. Improper care of animals generates poor meat quality; and bad meat quality result in poor processing characteristics, functional and eating qualities and is less likely to be accepted by consumers [6]. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) should be established in all abattoirs to maintain welfare of animals, maximum efficiency and quality of beef [20].
It is necessary to have clear information on major causes of organs and carcass condemnation at the abattoir. This is important in providing information on where and how to reduce the losses that may be caused by the various abnormalities (lesions/pathology).
There for the objective of this research were
• To access the major causes of organ condemnation in abattoir
• To access abattoir-based prevalence of major causes of organ condemnation
Materials and Methods
Study Area
The study was conducted at Yabello municipal abattoir which is located in Borena zone, Ethiopia, from December 2022 to March 2023. Yabello city is located at 580km south of the capital city Addis Ababa. The city is located at 4°53’ N and 38°5’ E at 1857masl. The area gets 88.3mm of average annual rainfall. The elevation spans from 943 to 2,400 meters above sea level with average yearly rain fall of 400 to 1100 mm demonstrating a bimodal rainfall (long and short rainy seasons). The lengthy rainy season spans from March to May while the short rainy season comes from mid-September to the mid-November. The yearly temperature fluctuates from 19 to 42°C. The pastoralists frequently travel with their livestock depending on the availability of fodder and water [3].
Study Population
The study populations were cattle brought for slaughter and study was conducted on 384 randomly selected cattle destined for slaughter at Yabello municipal abattoir mainly coming from Borena, Konso and neighboring local areas.
Study Design
A cross-sectional research design was utilized to investigate the principal reasons of organ condemnation discovered in Yabello municipal abattoir by careful assessment of organs at the time of slaughter. Animals were categorized based on their origin, age, and body condition score. All cattle were inspected during ante mortem and post mortem examination and data was entered in a format devised for this purpose.
Sample Size Determination
The sample size for this study was determined based on 50% expected prevalence, 5% precision and 95% confidence level according to Thrusfield, (2005).
Where n is the required sample size, Pexp is the expected prevalence and d is the desired absolute precision.
Using 50% expected prevalence, 95% confidence interval and 5% desired absolute precision the sample size calculated was 384 cattle.
Method of Data Collection
Data collection format was designed to gather data from the slaughterhouse on the key reasons of organ condemnation. A simple random sample strategy was utilized to incorporate livestock into examination. The post-mortem data was gathered on the animals previously chosen randomly for antemortem by visualization, probing and incision on organs and carcass for any flaws and abnormalities and if any defect or abnormality was discovered then was documented on the predefined data collecting forms.
Data Analysis
All the data collected from ante mortem and post mortem inspection were inserted into Microsoft excel 2019 program. Analysis was done using Stata version 14 data analysis software. Descriptive statistics was used to assess the rate of organ condemnation and its connection with the primary parameters including body condition score [5], age and ante mortem anomalies. The connection between condemnation rate, ante mortem anomalies and body condition score were analyzed by Pearson’s chi-square test.
Result
Ante Mortem Inspection
Out of 384 animals inspected at ante mortem examination a total of 231(60.15%) animals were found with different antemortem abnormalities. The major abnormalities seen were depression (17.45%), lameness (7.55%), emaciation (5.99%) and coughing (5.73%). Details of abnormalities found in the antemortem examination were summarized in the tables below.
Ante mortem abnormality
Number of animals affected
Percent
Depression
67
17.45
Lameness
29
7.55
Emaciation
23
5.99
Coughing
22
5.73
Swelling
19
4.95
Respiratory distress
16
4.17
Dehydration
14
3.65
Skin lesion
11
2.86
Nasal discharge
10
2.60
Mouth lesion
7
1.82
Bruising
5
1.30
Mouth bleeding
3
0.78
Frothing
3
0.78
Nasal bleeding
1
0.26
Weakness
1
0.26
Total
231
60.15
Table 1: Abnormalities encountered during antemortem examination.
Liver*
Frequenc y (%)
Kidney*
Frequency (%)
Heart*
Frequenc y (%)
Lung*
Frequency (%)
Carcass
*Frequenc y (%)
Tongue*
Frequency (%)
Hydatid cyst
107
(68.15%)Hydatid cyst
23
(79.31%)Hydatid cyst
22
(64.71%)Hydatid cyst
52
(60.47%)Bruising
47
(74.60%)C. bovis
10
(66.67%)Calcificatio n
38
(24.20%)Calcification
6
(20.69%)Congestio n
12
(35.29%)Calcificatio n
24
(27.91%)Injection site injury
16
(25.40%)Trauma
5
(33.33%)Fasciola
12
(7.64%)
Marbling
10
(11.63%)
Key: *Causes of condemnation
Table 2: Causes and percentage of organ condemnation.
Organ condemned
Body condition score
X2
P-value
Good
Poor
Liver
49
108
1.3231
0.516
Kidney
10
19
0.516
0.369
Heart
10
24
7.7273
0.005
Lung
33
53
0.4067
0.816
Carcass
39
24
0.0032
0.955
Tongue
4
11
2.7273
0.099
Table 3: Association between organ condemned and body condition score.
Organ condemned
Age
X2
P-value
Adult
Young
Liver
149
8
0.7045
0.703
Kidney
25
4
2.4293
0.119
Heart
32
2
1.1591
0.282
Lung
77
9
1.4141
0.493
Carcass
62
1
2.9849
0.084
Tongue
14
1
0.5357
0.464
Table 4: Association between organ condemned and age.
Ante mortem
abnormalityLiver
condemnationX2
P-value
Dehydration
5
Depression
43
4.6098
0.330
Emaciation
17
Table 5: Association between liver condemnation and ante mortem abnormality.
Ante mortem Abnormality
Kidney condemnation
X2
P-value
Dehydration
3
Depression
3
1.5556
0.459
Lameness
1
Table 6: Association between kidney condemnation and ante mortem abnormality.
Ante mortem abnormality
Heart condemnation
X2
P-value
Dehydration
3
Depression
5
3.06
0.217
Weakness
1
Table 7: Association between heart condemnation and ante mortem abnormality.
Ante mortem
abnormalityLung
condemnationX2
P-value
Coughing
22
Dehydration
3
Depression
16
3.6000
0.964
Emaciation
5
Nasal discharge
10
Respiratory distress
16
Table 8: Association between lung condemnation and ante mortem abnormality.
Ante mortem abnormality
Carcass condemnation
X2
P-value
Bruising
5
Lameness
28
41.2434
0.000
Skin lesion
11
Swelling
19
Table 9: Association between carcass condemnation and ante mortem abnormality.
Ante mortem
abnormalityTongue
condemnationX2
P-value
Emaciation
1
Mouth bleeding
3
Frothing
3
12.0000
0.017
Mouth lesion
7
Nasal bleeding
1
Table 10: Association between tongue condemnation and ante mortem abnormality.
Post Mortem Examination
All the animals that were examined for antemortem examination were also subjected to post mortem examination. From total of 384 animals that were examined in post mortem examination 157 (40.8%) liver, 29 (7.6%) kidney, 34 (8.8%) heart, 86 (22.4%) lung, 63 (16.5%) carcass and 15 (3.9%) tongue were condemned for human consumption based on major abnormalities grossly seen by visualization, palpation and incision.
Discussion
In the present study a total of 384 animals were examined for any abnormalities in ante mortem and post mortem examination and a total of 231(60.15%) animals were found to have different ante mortem abnormalities. This finding is higher as compared to the findings in a study done at Wolaita municipal abattoir which reported 44.8% [8]. The finding is also higher than the report in Adama municipal abattoir which was reported to be 16.38% [11]. This study’s result is also higher than reported at Gondar Elfora abattoir at 16.2% [2]. The difference may be due to animal handling and management practice while transporting or at farm or it may also due to epidemiological variation on causes of diseases.
The major ante mortem abnormalities observed in this study were depression and lameness. Alemu et al. (2017) reported branding and nasal discharge as a major ante mortem abnormality and Yalew et al. (2016) reported that the major abnormalities found in antemortem were ectoparasites and lacrimation which is different from this study but Kebede et al. (2020) reported depression as the major abnormality found in the ante mortem abnormality which was similar to this study.
In the post mortem examination, the major organs condemned were liver, lung, carcass, heart, kidney and tongue. The major causes of liver condemnation were hydatid cyst, calcification and Fasciola in the order mentioned. Unlike this study [19] reported fasciolosis, cirrhosis and hepatitis in decreasing order as major causes of liver condemnation. Similarly, Alemu et al. (2017) also reported fasciolosis, calcification and hydatid cyst as the major causes of liver condemnation. The main difference for this variation is probably the epidemiology of fasciolosis in the origin from where the animal at the abattoir were.
The major postmortem abnormalities found for the condemnation of lung were hydatid cyst, calcification and marbling. In a study performed at Gondar Elfora abattoir the main cause of lung condemnation was hydatid cyst followed by emphysema and calcification [2] which are similar to this study. Hydatidosis and pneumonia were reported as main cause of lung condemnation in Dessie municipal abattoir [19] which is also similar to this study but in this study, there was no pneumonia reported.
In case of carcass condemnation, the major abnormalities were Bruising 47 (74.60%) and injection site injury 16 (25.40%). Bruising, hemorrhage and abscess were mentioned as the major causes of carcass condemnation in Wolayita sodo municipal abattoir by [8]. In a study conducted by [14] at Nekemte municipal abattoir bruising and abscess were reported as major causes of carcass condemnation which is comparative to this study.
The major abnormalities leading for the condemnation of heart were hydatid cyst 22 (64.71%) and congestion (12%). [11] reported that the major causes of heart condemnation are pericarditis, hemorrhage and edema which is different from the findings of this study. It is also reported that hemorrhage and C.bovis as major causes of heart condemnation on a study done at Wolayita sodo municipal abattoir by [8].
The major postmortem abnormalities leading for the condemnation of kidney were hydatid cyst 23 (79.31%) and calcification 6 (20.69%). Nephritis, hemorrhage and infraction were the major causes of kidney condemnation in study conducted by [17] at Hawassa municipal abattoir. In a study done at Gondar Elfora abattoir, the major causes of kidney condemnation were caliculi, hemorrhage and hydatid cyst [2].
The two post mortem abnormalities leading for the condemnation of tongue were C. bovis 10 (66.67%) and trauma 5 (33.33%). In a study done at Nekemte municipal abattoir by [14] the major post mortem abnormality for the condemnation of tongue is C.bovis which is similar to this study except the fact that this study have also found trauma. This study is also different to the study done at Hawassa municipal abattoir who reported abscess and C.bovis as the major causes of tongue condemnation in the abattoir [17].
Conclusion and Recommendation
• Organ condemnations cause big economic losses in the cattle industry. In this study there were highest rate to edible offals like liver, heart, kidney and tongue and also to carcass. This would affect the owners financially and also interfere on food sufficiency. Therefore, based on the above conclusion the following recommendations are fRegular deworming of animals should be practiced in order to prevent some parasitic diseases that leads to organ damages.
• Awareness should be established for the animal producers, attendants, animal transporters,
To protect the public from zoonosis there should be strict post-mortem inspection.
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