The Prevalence of Linguatula serrata Nymphs in Mesenteric Lymph Nodes in Cattle

Problem statement: The Linguatula serrata is one of the parasitic zoonoses. Human beings may also be infected by both the nymph stage, a condition called nasopharyngeal linguatulosis or Halzoun syndrome and the egg, a condition called visceral linguatulosis. Approach: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of nymphal stages of L. serrata in mediastenal and mesenteric lymph nodes of cattle slaughtered in Kerman slaughterhouse, south east of Iran. For this purpose, mesenteric and mediastenal lymph nodes of 450 cattle of different sex and age were examined. Results: A prevalence of 16.22% was observed in mesenteric lymph nodes. Higher prevalence of infection was observed in animals aged above four years and during autumn season. The infection rate increased with age (p<0.05). Also prevalence of L. serrata nymphs in different seasons was significantly different (p<0.05). Conclusion: The high prevalence of infection observed in a ruminant is of concern owing to the zoonotic nature of the parasite and the risk of infection to humans and other animals.