Hydatidosis in sheep, goats and dromedaries in Morocco

Two thousand two hundred and forty-six sheep, 510 goats and 35 dromedaries were examined for hydatid cysts. The mean prevalence was 0.7% (range 0.4-38.5%) in sheep, 1.4% (range 0.2-7.7%) in goats and 80% in dromedaries. The increase in prevalence with age of the animals was statistically significant in sheep only. In all species examined infection of the lungs was more common and important than that of the livers. The fertility rate of hydatids was 50% in sheep and 67.8% in dromedaries; and degenerative changes were shown by 65.8% of hydatids from dromedaries as compared to 16.3% in sheep. Dromedaries seem to play an important role in the epidemiology of hydatidosis in Morocco.