Infecção por Sarcocystís spp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) em bovinos de corte abatidos no município de Belém - Pará - Brasil.

Abstract

In order to estimate the parasitary frequency of Sarcocystis spp. in beef cattle slaughtered in the state of Pará, 200 samples of heart and tongue (n = 400) were analyzed by the peptidic digestion and scarification. Were selected 100 samples of each organ for histopathologic examination, corresponding to 50% of each herd slaughtered for observation of the characteristics of the cyst wall and associated lesions. Considering the results of both techniques and the organs examined ali animais studied were infected by Sarcocystis spp. whereas the technique of peptide digestion 92% (n = 184) samples of heart and 83% (n = 166) samples language were diagnosed positive. By the method of scarification, the positivity was 90% (n = 180) for the heart and 59% (n = 118) for the tongue. Ali cysts had thin wall (<1 pm) compatible with S. cruzi, with no associated injury. By peptidic digestion were identified the largest number of positive samples in both organs, but in heart examination the techniques were statistically equivalent. By scarification, the values of the parasitological indicators showed that the average parasitic index, parasite mean abundance and parasite amplitude in heart samples were superior to the tongue, and the examination of the first blade detected 82% and 60% of positive samples in heart and tongue, respectively. The results suggest a high frequency of Sarcocystis cruzi infection in cattle slaughtered in Pará and scarification of the heart can be used as an altemative technique to digestion in the research of Sarcocystis spp. in cattle, besides being easy to perform and inexpensive.