The effect of cystic echinococcosis (hydatid disease) on carcase weight in cattle in eastern Australia.

ABSTRACT: Cystic echinococcosis is caused by the zoonotic tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. There has been ongoing controversy over whether it causes weight loss in cattle. Recently implemented recording of comorbidities at processors has provided opportunity to investigate this effect. Using prevalence-based observational data from 1,648,049 adult cattle processed in seven states and territories in Australia (2019-2022), we explored associations between carcase weight, hydatid cysts, comorbidities, sex, age, and region. Linear mixed-effect regression models estimated the effect of cystic echinococcosis on carcase weight, guided by directed acyclic graphs to reduce bias. The highest, previously unreported, prevalence was in the southeast Queensland region. The estimated effect of cystic echinococcos

SUBMITTER: Brookes VJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10973430 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature