Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The prevalence and economic significance of liver disorders and contamination in grain‐fed and grass‐fed cattle

1982; Wiley; Volume: 59; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1751-0813.1982.tb02756.x

1751-0813

Jonathan Roberts,

Congenital Anomalies and Fetal Surgery

SUMMARY Livers were examined from 5,647 grain‐fed and 621 grass‐fed cattle of similar breed, age and weight, killed at a Queensland abattoir in 1980–81. The prevalences of disorders found in grain‐fed cattle were liver abscesses 5.6% and 11.1% (after 80 and 120 days in the feedlot), telangiectasis 8.4%, Echinococcus granulosis 3.3%, Fasciola hepatica 0.4%, unclassified lesions 7.4%, and contamination 3.2%. In grass‐fed cattle liver abscesses were 0.2%, telangiectasis 1.0%, E. granulosis 18.9%, F. hepatica 5.4%, unclassified lesions 6.5%, and contamination 1.0%. Liver abscess disease was the main cause of loss in grain‐fed cattle and the mean carcase weight of affected steers was 298kg±42kg, compared wiith 308kg±40kg in non‐affected (p 0.01). Liver weights of grain‐fed and grass‐fed cattle were highly significantly correlated with carcase weights (r ‐ 0.78 and 0.49 respectively). Total losses were $2.25 per head in grain‐fed steers and $0.90 in grass‐fed steers.