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Airs PM, Tinsley JHI, Mvula W, Ventura-Cordero J, Takahashi T, Nalivata P, van Wyk JA, Morgan ER, Safalaoh ACL. Prevalence of Plastic and Hardware Foreign Bodies among Goats at Malawi Markets. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:147. [PMID: 38200878 PMCID: PMC10778286 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Smallholder goat production plays a major role in rural livelihoods and food security in Malawi, but suffers from drastic and unpredictable production losses. While goat production is closely linked to small-scale local markets for slaughter and butchering, the perspectives of butchers and their potential as a source of animal health information are largely untapped. Butchers can provide insights into goat health status at slaughter as well as issues that go unseen before slaughter, such as the presence of indigestible foreign bodies (IFBs). IFBs include solid materials such as plastics and hardware (metals, stones, and other hard objects) that cause foreign body syndrome and can lead to impaction, oedema, malnutrition, and death. To estimate the presence of IFBs, 150 market stand butchers were surveyed across five districts in Malawi, focusing on a distinction between hardware and single-use plastics, which are still widely present in Malawi despite bans on production. Most butchers found plastic IFBs (80.7%), with over half (56.7%) reporting plastic IFBs recently among the past five slaughters. Hardware IFBs were less common, reported by 45.3% of butchers. While some butchers commented on the impact of IFBs on meat quality metrics ex-post, the majority observed no differences. While butchers unanimously considered health to be an important characteristic when sourcing goats, 70.7% consider injury status to be less important or not important. Overall, this study highlights the issue of anthropogenic waste pollution on goat production in Malawi and demonstrates the potential for the surveillance of goat health at market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Airs
- Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (J.H.I.T.); (J.V.-C.); (E.R.M.)
| | - Jonathan H. I. Tinsley
- Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (J.H.I.T.); (J.V.-C.); (E.R.M.)
| | - Winchester Mvula
- Animal Science Department, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi (P.N.)
| | - Javier Ventura-Cordero
- Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (J.H.I.T.); (J.V.-C.); (E.R.M.)
| | - Taro Takahashi
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT16 6DR, UK
| | - Patson Nalivata
- Animal Science Department, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi (P.N.)
| | - Jan A. van Wyk
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria Private Bag X20, South Africa
| | - Eric R. Morgan
- Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK; (J.H.I.T.); (J.V.-C.); (E.R.M.)
| | - Andrews C. L. Safalaoh
- Animal Science Department, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi (P.N.)
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Shair MA, Hassan-Kadle AA, Osman AM, Ahmed KMY, Yusuf AA, Barros-Filho IR, Vieira RFC. Indigestible foreign bodies in the forestomach of slaughtered goats in Mogadishu, Somalia. Vet World 2023; 16:1829-1832. [PMID: 37859955 PMCID: PMC10583886 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.1829-1832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim The primary domestic animal in Somali communities is the goat. Their main economic importance is as a food source and a main form of agriculture in the country. There has been a recent decline in the goat population in Somalia, which may be due to the shortage of feed and an increasingly contaminated environment that is affecting the population's food supply and nutritional status. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and the factors associated with indigestible foreign bodies (IFBs) ingestion in goats in Mogadishu, Somalia. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Somalia Meat Company in Mogadishu, Somalia, in February 2022. A total of 250 goats were included in this study, and records were kept on age, sex, body condition, and location. Following the slaughter, goats were inspected for IFBs, and their stomach compartments were incised and examined. Indigestible foreign body classifications was noted and subjected to analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.0. Results A total of 90/250 (36%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.1-42.3) goats presented IFBs, being 71/90 (79%; 95% CI: 69-87) in the rumen, 12/90 (13%; 95% CI: 7-22) in the reticulum, and seven/90 (8%; 95% CI: 3-15) on both. The most observed IFBs were plastic in 71/90 (79%; 95% CI: 69-87), followed by ropes in eight/90 (10%; 95% CI: 5-18). A high IFB prevalence was observed in goats aged >2-≤3 years (44%), followed by >3 years (36%). The lowest frequency was observed in goats aged <2 years (30%). Overall, there was an association between IFBs in goats and poor body conditions (χ2 = 47%, p < 0.04). Conclusion The absence of a plastic waste disposal system in the area, and communal free-grazing of livestock in highly contaminated sites, appeared to be significant contributors to the high occurrence of IFBs in goats. Therefore, appropriate policies for solid waste management should be implemented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. Shair
- Graduate Program on Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Abrar Research and Training Center, Abrar University, Mogadishu, Somalia
| | - Ahmed A. Hassan-Kadle
- Graduate Program on Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Abrar Research and Training Center, Abrar University, Mogadishu, Somalia
- Somali One Health Center, Abrar University, Mogadishu, Somalia
| | - Aamir M. Osman
- Graduate Program on Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Somali One Health Center, Abrar University, Mogadishu, Somalia
- Department of Animal Health and Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock, Forestry, and Range, Mogadishu, Somalia
| | - Kaltumo M. Y. Ahmed
- Graduate Program on Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Abdulkarim A. Yusuf
- Abrar Research and Training Center, Abrar University, Mogadishu, Somalia
- Department of Slaughterhouses, Somali Meat Company, Mogadishu, Somalia
| | - Ivan R. Barros-Filho
- Graduate Program on Veterinary Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Rafael F. C. Vieira
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, USA
- Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, USA
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Samkange A, Hausiku M, Kandiwa E, Mbiri P, Muradzikwa EN, Mushonga B. Bovine rumen impaction caused by ingestion of Gonometa postica cocoons in eastern-central Namibia. J S Afr Vet Assoc 2019; 90:e1-e4. [PMID: 31714114 PMCID: PMC6852249 DOI: 10.4102/jsava.v90i0.1995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Cases of rumen impaction caused by ingestion of Gonometa postica cocoons occurred at a farm in eastern-central Namibia. Ten animals died on the farm over the previous 5 months. Rumenotomies were successfully performed on three affected animals. The authors were of the opinion that the affected animals ingested the cocoons around the time of weaning, which then resulted in tangled masses that gradually stretched and enlarged because of entrapment of ingesta, eventually causing impaction of the rumen in the young adult animals. These are the first reported cases of ruminal impaction attributable to G. postica cocoon ingestion in Namibia.
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