The comparison of two methods (macroscopic and microscopic) fordetection of Sarcocystis spp. in sheep in Boroujerd, Iran

Sarcocyst is a worldwide zoonosis that infects many humans and animals. From the point of view of health and economy, it has a large amount of loss for many countries. The parasite is one of the most common parasites in many humans, wild mammalians, birds, poikilothermic animals. Some of them are responsible for severe or fatal diseases in their intermediate hosts. In this study, the rate of infection to sarcocyst has been investigated in sheep by two methods macroscopic and digestive method, in the slaughterhouse of Borujerd, Iran. Sixty carcasses were randomly selected during two stages in: In the first stage, oesophagus, diaphragm, heart, scapular and femoral muscles have been inspected that in total 17 (28/33%) from of them were infected by the cyst. In the second stage, these parts were tested by digestive method (Pepsin: 2.5 grams; Chloric acid: 10 cc; Phosphatebuffered saline 100cc) and then the smears were stained by Giemsa. The specimen that had bradyzoite considered as the positive. In conclusion, 56(93/33%) of samples had bradyzoite. the study showed a significant differences between two methods (P<0.01). Microscopic method was more sensitive than the other method.