Pathological Conditions Of Condemned Bovine Lungs From Abattoirs In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

A study of diseases of the bovine lungs was carried out in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria between (1999 – 2002). A total of 5,369 cattle were slaughtered within the study period out of which, 459 (8.5 %) lungs were condemned. Tuberculosis accounted for 183(39.921), representing 3.4 % of the total cattle population.  This was closely followed by Pneumonia, which was 180(39.2 %), representing 3.4 % of this population.  Abscesses, 93(20.1 %) and Taenia sp Cysts 3(0.7%), representing 1.7% and 0.1 % respectively of the total cattle population slaughtered also resulted in lung condemnations.  The overall annual prevalence of the diseases amongst condemned bovine lungs shows that most of them were encountered in the last three years of study, 10.1 %, 9.7 % and 8.7% for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively.  There was a clear positive seasonal influence on the prevalence of these diseases.  The prevalence rate of tuberculosis and abscesses decreased along the seasonal periods from LDS to EDS.  The rainy seasonal periods (ERS and LRS) increased the prevalence of pneumonia more than the dry periods while Taenia cysts were only recorded during the early dry season (EDS).  It was, therefore, concluded that tuberculosis and pneumonias, both accounting for over 79 %, were the major reasons for bovine lung condemnations at the abattoirs in Akwa Ibom State.