Frequency of Taenia hydatigena cysts in slaughtered sheep in Sulaymaniyah province/Iraq

Taenia hydatigena is a common economically important parasite in Iraq. Its larval stage is called Cysticercus tenuicollis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of host sex, age and breed on the frequency rate of T. hydatigena cysts in sheep. The survey conducted from January 2017 to December 2017 and inspection performed from 19,897 sheep slaughtered at Modern Sulaimani Slaughterhouse of Sulaymaniyah province. C. tenuicollis was found in 4,495 (22.6%) sheep and the highest rate of infection was found in omentum (37%). April recorded the highest rate of infection (26.1%) and there were significant differences between months of year. Ages and sexes had not significant effect on the rate of infection, but significant difference was found in imported sheep including Awassi breed in Syria, Turkey and Iran (23.7%) compared to local one involving Karadi and Hamdani breeds (19.6%). It was concluded that the high frequency of this metacestode infestation might reveal the endemicity of the disease in the study area and this may constitute economic and health problems in the meat industry. It is recommended to the veterinary authority to apply a suitable preventive and control measures to get over this issue.