Abstract

Diverse gastrointestinal parasites, such as trematodes, cestodes, and nematodes, pose a threat to ruminants. Paramphistome, a trematode also known as rumen fluke, affects both domestic and wild ruminants, causing significant economic losses in the dairy and meat production industries. Tissue samples (rumen, reticulum, and small intestine) from 40 cattle slaughtered at the Jos abattoir were examined grossly and microscopically for paramphistomosis, with associated gross and histopathological changes recorded for a period of 4 weeks. From the 40 cattle examined, 23(57.50%) were positive for paramphistomosis with several gross lesions. The gross lesions observed were hyperemia, mucohaemorrhagic enteritis, and mucoid enteritis, with frequencies of 2, 2, and 6, respectively. However, among the positive samples, 2 lesions were common; mucohaemorrhagic enteritis and mucoid enteritis, each with a frequency of 1 and 4, respectively. This study established a moderate prevalence of paramphistomosis in cattle slaughtered at the Jos abattoir. The gross and histopathological changes in tissues from cattle infected with Paramphistomum have provided useful information to aid diagnosis.

Key words: Abattoir, Cattle, Gross pathology, Histopathology, Jos, Paramphistomosis