Parasitic cysts and lesions in organs

Parasitic cysts can result in the meat produced by your animals being downgraded. They also point to the presence of diseases that can make people very sick.

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Acyst is a closed sac, and can look rather like a bubble in the tissue. It may contain air, fluid or semi-solid material. A collection of pus is an abscess, not a cyst. The kind of cyst we’re interested in here is a stage in the life cycle of a parasite.

Lesions, by contrast, are abnormal changes in animal tissue (meat, organs and other body parts), according to ‘Parasitic cysts and lesions in organs’, a leafet produced by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. “Lesions are seen at the time of slaughter of foodproducing animals or in affected organs which are being sold,” it states.

LOSS OF PRODUCTION

As a livestock farmer, you should take note of parasitic cysts and lesions, as some can cause diseases in people. It is therefore important to control the parasites and condemn affected organs, as they have an unattractive appearance, which will impact your income.

Some cysts and lesions can cause loss of production, disease and even death.

“The parasite involved is usually the tapeworm. The 5mm-long adult tapeworms live in the intestines of dogs and other carnivores.

“When the eggs are passed in the faeces, they contaminate the environment. Sheep and other animals are infected by eating the eggs when grazing,” explains the leaflet.

Echinococcosis (hydatid disease)

With this disease, cysts appear in the organs of sheep, goats, cattle and pigs. People can also be affected. In sheep and other herbivores, the cysts rarely result in obvious clinical signs.