PREVALENCE OF COENURUS CEREBRALIS IN SHEEP IN KARS PROVINCE, TURKEY

The prevalence of Coenurus cerebralis was investigated for 12 months in 387 slaughtered sheep in the Kars province. During the study, the breed, age, sex of animals, the location of cysts, numbers, diameters of the cysts, the amount of the fluid, and number of the scolices were recorded. The infection rate of coenurosis was recorded at 15.5% (60/387) in the examined heads. Clinical symptoms of coenurosis were seen in only 17 of the animals (4.3%). The cysts were located in the cerebral hemispheres in 96.7% of the cases and in 3.3% in the cerebellum. The infected heads contained 1-4 coenurus cysts. The disease, according to the season, was more prevalent in October (28.5%) and less prevalent in April (3.1%). The infection rates according to the age of animals were 15.0% in one-year-old, 21.7% in twoyear-old, and 11.4% in 3-year-old or older animals. The number of coenurus cysts in morkaraman sheep was higher (15.9%) than that of akkaraman sheep (14.1%). The incidence of coenurosis was 14.4% in males and 15.9% in females.