Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia-Associated Fetal Wastage and Meat Quality Compromise in Cattle Slaughtered at Dr Abubakar Saraki Memorial Abattoir, Kwara State, Nigeria

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is still endemic in Nigeria. The Mycoplasma Unit of the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, has completed an 18-month investigation of CBPP cases encountered at the main city abattoir. Investigation was with special emphasis on fetal wastes, physical and health conditions of cattle presented for slaughter at the abattoir. Blood and tissue samples were obtained during ante-mortem and postmortem examinations for laboratory investigations, and diagnosis of CBPP, which were based on classical pathological lesions and culture of Mycoplasma organism identified serologically as M. mycoides subsp. mycoides from lung lesions and pleural fluids obtained from the cattle. From a total of 41,069 cattle slaughtered, 40,075 (97.6%) were cows from which 6,699 fetuses were encountered, and 963 (2.3%) were bulls. Thus, an average of 372 fetuses were wasted each month at the abattoir. Of the 40,075 cows slaughtered, 913 (2.3%) were CBPP-positive and carried 153 fetuses. Most cows carried twin fetuses. We estimate that each fetal wastage is equivalent to 50,000 Naira losses to the farmer, and each emaciated animal slaughtered is a loss of approximately 200,000 Naira. Studies are warranted to determine annual national economic losses resulting from slaughtering emaciated cattle that are often discovered to be pregnant and propose strategies to address the avoidable revenue loss.