Ciencia y tecnología veterinaria

Study on Prevalence and Distribution of Salmonella Isolates from Apparently Healthy Sheep and Goats Slaughtered at Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise,Ethiopia.

Abstract

Bedaso Kebede Kassaye, Dinsefa Jemal Hassen, Kifle Alemu Leja and Biniam Tsegaye

A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2010-April 2011 to determine the prevalence and distribution of salmonella isolates from apparently healthy sheep and goats slaughtered at Addis Ababa Abattoir enterprise, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 384 sheep and goats were randomly selected and examined for the presence of salmonella in liver, kidney, spleen, carcass, mesenteric lymph node and feces. Three hundred eighty four samples of liver (0.00%), kidney (0.00%), spleen (0.00%), muscle (0.00%), carcass (0.00%), mesenteric lymph node (1.9%) and feces (5.3%) were examined. The isolation and identification of salmonella were carried out according to the technique recommended by the Standard Technique. Out of 384 samples, a total of 4 (1.04%) salmonella were isolated of which 1.5% (n=200) and 0.5% (n=184) were from sheep and goats respectively. Out of the positive isolates, 2(2.6%) and 1(3.6%) were from faeces and mesenteric lymph node of sheep and 1(3.7%) was from feces of goats. The result revealed that there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the prevalence of salmonella between male (1.14%) and female (1.79%) sheep and male (100%) and female (0.00%) goats. There was also no statistical significant difference between adult (1.96%) and young (1.02%) sheep and also between adult (100%), and young (0.00%) goats. The prevalence of salmonella in sheep (1.5%) and in goat (0.54%) was not significantly associated (p>0.005). Finally, the result of present study shows that unhygienic practices of workers resulted in contamination of mesenteric lymph node and the possibilities of cross contamination between positive animal and healthy ones. Although the present study shows the low prevalence of salmonella in the study area, the important impacts of salmonellosis on sheep and goats' production and productivity should not be neglected. Therefore, emphasis should be given to control the disease.