ACystic echinococcosis (CE) is the larval cystic stage (called echinococcal cysts) of a small taeniid-type tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus) that may cause illness in intermediate hosts, generally herbivorous animals and people who are infected accidentally. Echinococcus granulosus has number of genetically distinct strains which are known to differ morphologically and epiderniologically. Out of 150 cattle and 150 buffalo examined only 42 Samples of hydatid cysts were collected from different organs i.e. livers, kidneys, lungs and hearts from Lahore abbatoir. From 42 positive samples, 25 cysts were found in cattle and 17 cysts were tound in buffalo. Prevalence of hydatidosis in cattle was recoreded as 16.66% and 11.33% in buffalo. Fertility and viability of the cysts was observed microscopically. Out of 25 cysts of cattle. nine were fertile and out of 17 cysts of buffalo, only five were fertile.
Seroprevalence of hydatidosis in 150 butchers working in abattoir was also determined by the use of Latex agglutination test (LAT) kit for detection of hydatidosis.
The prevalence of Echinococcus is 24% which was derived from serum analysis of butchers.
DNA from hydatid cyst was extracted. Polymerase Chain Reaction was run on extracted DNA samples. Amplicon was run on 1% agarose for confirmation of size and specificity of product. Size of PCR product was approximately l300bp.
Genotyping of Echinococcus granulosus was performed through Polymerase Chain Reaction- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The PCR-RFLP analysis of CO I gene of Echinococus was performed to confirm the strain of Echinococcus in cattle .The data obtained was analysed and it was concluded that the G5 strain of echinococus is prevalent in Cattle in Punjab area.
It is hoped that the findings of the present study will be helpful for further planning about the control of the disease and correlating the prevalence in cattles,buffalos and butchers from the zoonotic point of view.
According to the results, the PCR-RFLP analysis of samples of patients suspected for Echinococejis is a promising diagnostic method and also confirms the type of Echinococcits prevalent in that area and also enables an early direct detection of parasite DNA. This effort is a step to minimize the losses produced by this disease.