Prevalence of disease conditions detected among slaughtered cattle in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

Records from abattoirs about carcass and viscera inspection are vital avenues of tracking disease conditions, establishing possible trends, and losses due to diseases. The aims of this study were to report the disease conditions detected among slaughtered cattle in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria, and to determine the prevalence and seasonal influence of these disease conditions. A one-year (January 2022 – December 2022) record of disease conditions detected in cattle at slaughter based on daily inspection that was conducted by at least one qualified veterinarian in the major abattoirs in Ilorin was retrieved. Six disease conditions were reported from the 55,912 slaughtered cattle, with pneumonia, tuberculosis, and helminthosis being the most prevalent, with prevalences of 8.98% (95% CI = 8.75 – 9.22), 5.84% (95% CI = 5.65 – 6.04), and 3.85% (95% CI = 3.69 – 4.01), respectively. The prevalences of the other disease conditions were 2.14%, 0.83%, and 0.57% for abscess, mange, and pericarditis, respectively. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the prevalence of disease conditions in relation to the months and seasons of the study, with this finding exhibiting a non-defined pattern. This study confirms the presence of different disease conditions among slaughtered cattle in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria.