JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND VETERINARY MEDICINE
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2536-7099
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/JASVM
Start Year: 2016
Email: jasvm@integrityresjournals.org
Histopathological changes associated with endoparasitism in pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) slaughtered at Kuru pig market in Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria
https://doi.org/10.31248/JASVM2026.690 | Article Number: 92FFF6719 | Vol.11 (5) - October 2026
Received Date: 15 September 2026 | Accepted Date: 23 October 2026 | Published Date: 30 October 2026
Authors: Barde Israel Joshua* , Ishaku Leo Elisha , Ngulukun Samuel Sati , Dashe Yakubu Gunya , Ugbe Aondona Dominic , Shekaro Audu , Dashe Manna Nanpak , Masagbor Otimize Yvonne , Lev Kolodzieyski and Zhang Maodong
Keywords: Nigeria., Plateau State, zoonosis., endoparasites, Jos, swine., pathomorphology
The study investigated the prevalence and tissue-level pathology of endoparasites in pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) slaughtered at the Kuru pig market in Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria, over a period of one month. Fifty (50) fresh faecal samples (25 males and 25 females) were collected and analysed using standard egg flotation and sedimentation techniques. Concurrently, tissue specimens were harvested from the heart, lungs, skeletal muscle, and intestine from the same animals from which faecal samples were collected, for histopathological examination. The overall parasite prevalence was 26.0% (13/50), with female pigs exhibiting a significantly higher infection rate (18.0%, 9/50) than male pigs (8.0%, 4/50). Seven distinct parasite taxa of economic and zoonotic importance were identified: Trichinella suis (10.0%, 5/50), Strongyle spp. (4.0%, 2/50), Balantidium coli (4.0%, 2/50), Trichuris spp (2.0%, 1/50), Oesophagostomum spp. (2.0%, 1/50), Taenia solium (2.0%, 1/50), and Blastocystis spp. (2.0%, 1/50). Histopathological evaluation revealed severe tissue disruption in infected organs: heart sections demonstrated myocardial encystment and focal myofibrillar necrosis; skeletal muscle exhibited degeneration and focal necrosis; and intestinal sections showed severe mucosal villous sloughing and epithelial erosion. Conversely, lung tissues retained normal histological architecture. These findings demonstrate a substantial parasitic burden among slaughter pigs in the region, posing severe zoonotic risks (notably cysticercosis, trichinellosis, and balantidiasis) to consumers and agricultural handlers. Implementing strategic anthelmintic deworming, routine abattoir meat inspection, enhanced swine biosecurity, and public health education is urgently recommended to mitigate economic losses and safeguard public health.
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