Emboli in bulls killed in Spanish traditional bullfighting

The finding of brain tissue fragments in blood and lungs of cattle stunned in slaughterhouses has raised concerns about food safety in the context of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy epidemic. In the present study, the possible occurrence of brain tissue emboli in animals killed in traditional Spanish bullfighting was investigated. Thorough histological analysis of multiple possible target organs was carried out in 434 bulls. No evidence of brain tissue embolism was obtained, but emboli from diverse sources were detected in pulmonary and hepatic tissue of a significant number of animals. These emboli seem to have been caused by the use of a long sword, which extensively disrupts intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal organs and vascular structures.