Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background Bovine cysticercosis is a major foodborne parasitic disease affecting food safety, public health, and livestock production in Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Cysticercus bovis in cattle slaughtered at Addis Ababa abattoir enterprise and assessed its associated public health and economic significance. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2023 to February 2024 to determine the prevalence of Cysticercus bovis in cattle slaughtered at Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise. The tongue, masseter muscle, liver, triceps muscle, heart and lung were organs inspected for the presence of C. bovis . The study was complemented by a retrospective analysis of abattoir records covering the preceding ten years (2013–2022). A questionnaire survey was also conducted among 110 residents of Addis Ababa Lemi-Kura sub-city to assess the public health significance of human taeniasis. Furthermore a survey of 23 randomly selected medical supply stores in Lemi-Kura Sub-City, Addis Ababa, was undertaken to determine the annual expenditure on taenicidal drugs in the study area during the 2022/2023 fiscal year. Data were analyzed using STATA 21, with prevalence calculated as the proportion of positive samples and associations assessed using logistic regression and Pearson’s chi-square test at p ≤ 0.05. Result A total of 602 cattle carcasses were subjected to routine post-mortem inspection, of which 6 (0.83%) were found to be infected with C. bovis . The cysts were detected in the triceps muscle (3), liver (1), tongue (1), and masseter muscle (1), with the triceps muscle being the most frequently affected tissue. Out of 110 respondents, 47 (42.73%) reported having experienced Taenia saginata infection at least once in their lifetime. Furthermore, 67% of respondents were aware that consumption of raw or undercooked beef is a major risk factor for T. saginata transmission. The occurrence of taeniasis was significantly associated with respondents’ sex, occupation, and knowledge of disease transmission and prevention (p < 0.05). A survey of medical supply stores indicated that 89,428 adult taeniasis treatment doses, equivalent to Ethiopian birr 2,310,965, were marketed for the treatment of human T. saginata taeniasis which approximately USD 41,597.37. Conclusion Despite the low prevalence of Cysticercus bovis and the marked decline in detained carcasses over the past decade, the detection of viable cysts and human Taenia saginata infections indicates ongoing transmission. Therefore, the C. bovis–T. saginata complex remains an important public health and economic concern in Addis Ababa.