Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology Breka, Katarina Betić, Nikola Karanović, Jelena Kukurić, Tijana Kuručki, Milica Klun, Ivana Đorđević, Vesna Uzelac, Aleksandra Meat technology - Special Issue 66/3 2025 volume: 66 number: 3 startpage: 81 endpage: 86 info:eu-repo/semantics/article application/pdf 458914 bytes https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8582 doi:10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.12 2025-12-01 Detection of Echinococcus spp. in condemned livers Foodborne disease, Livestock, Pigs, Parasite, Abattoirs http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode Echinococcosis, a parasitic zoonosis caused by Echinococcus spp. tapeworms, poses a sig- nificant public health concern in Europe, but remains under-reported in both humans and animals. Post-mortem examination of slaughtered livestock offers a valuable opportunity for early detection and surveillance of parasitic infections, including echinococcosis, in meat intended for human consumption. In this study, liver samples exhibiting pathological changes were collected from two abattoirs in Serbia. A total of 31 livers—22 from pigs, 7 from lambs, and 2 from bullocks—were analysed microscopically, and molecularly using PCR, to detect Echinococcus spp. DNA. The parasite was detected in three pig livers, and three distinct species were identified: E. granulosus, E. canadensis, and E. multilocularis. Although the sample size was relatively small, the detection of multiple Echinococcus spe- cies in pigs suggests a potential role of these animals in the parasite’s transmission cycle within Serbia. These findings underscore the ongoing importance of comprehensive meat inspection protocols in abattoirs for zoonotic disease surveillance. They also highlight the need for expanded surveillance efforts and enhanced diagnostic procedures, particularly spe- ciation of the tapeworm, to improve early detection and control of Echinococcus infections at the abattoir level. eng