Research Article
Elias Gezahegn, Birhanu Abe
Abstract
A study was conducted from December, 2014 to April 2015 to identify the major causes of liver condemnation and its economic significance in small ruminants slaughtered at Luna Export Abattoir, Ethiopia. By considering age, origin and species as a risk factors major abnormalities encountered were identified and considered accordingly. A simple random sampling was used where 384 each sheep and goats were sampled with a total of 768 animals and postmortem examinations was applied on liver. Out of 768 sheep and goats slaughtered 67.7% of liver revealed total condemnation. The major cause of these liver condemnations are due to Cysticercus tenuicullosis (11.5%), Calcification (20.31%), Cloudiness (20.57%), Cirrhosis (5.08%), Hepatitis (5.9%), Fatty degeneration (2.99%), Steilesia hepatica (3.65%), Adhesion (7.42%), and Hydatidosis (0.13%). Except in C. tenuicollis, calcification and cloudiness (p<0.05) which has a significance difference were observed between sheep and goats, insignificance difference (p>0.05) were recorded between sheep and goats in other lesions. Concerning the origin of the animal significance difference (p<0.05) in cloudy lesion were observed on sheep originated from Somali, GammuGoffa and Awash but insignificant difference observed in another lesion. Similarly, significance difference were observed in C tenuicollis, Calcification, and fatty degeneration (p<0.05), among goats originated from Borena, Afar and Wollo and insignificance difference was observed in other lesions. Regarding age and species in other lesions different rates of prevalence were recorded in the current study. Moreover, from total condemnation rate of liver, economic loss of 335,000.00 USD per annum was estimated. Due to such small ruminant health problems and these pathological lesions results in significance economic loss in small ruminants, continuous surveillance and strategically prevention and control of these abnormalities shall be implemented in these animals.