Economic losses due to the occurrence of cysticercosis in cattle from cities located in Minas Gerais, Brazil/ Perdas economicas devido a ocorrencia de cisticercose em bovinos procedentes de municipios localizados em Minas Gerais, Brasil

Cysticercosis represents an important public health problem that can cause significant economic losses to the beef industry. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of cysticercosis in cattle and estimate the economic losses to producers associated with this parasitic disease. Data were collected from the official sanitary inspection service of a slaughterhouse located in the city of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil, from 2009 to 2016. A total of 358,383 cattle from 46 cities in Minas Gerais, Brazil, were slaughtered, of which 4,243 were infected with cysticercosis (1.18%). A total of 5,194 cysticerci were detected in these carcasses, of which 4,548 (87.56%) were alive and 646 (12.44%) were calcified. Most of the cysticerci were located in the masseter and pterygoid masticatory muscles (72.41%). As to the classification of cysticercosis according to the degree of infection of organs and/or parts affected, mild infection was the most frequently observed (92.36%). Rural producers had a total of R$ 1,755,204.20 (US$ 537,526.80) of economic losses due to bovine cysticercosis during the time span of eight years covered by this retrospective study. The importance of the sanitary inspection of meat in the control of this major zoonotic diseases is emphasized. Key words: cysticercus, sanitary inspection of meat, Taenia saginata, zoonosis. A cisticercose representa um importante problema de saude publica que pode causar prejuizos economicos impactantes para a cadeia da carne bovina. Objetivou-se com este estudo determinar a frequencia da ocorrencia de cisticercose em bovinos e as perdas economicas aos produtores. Foram coletados dados do servico de inspecao sanitaria oficial de um abatedouro frigorifico de Uberlandia, Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil, no periodo de 2009 a 2016. Foram abatidos 358.383 bovinos, provenientes de 46 municipios de Minas Gerais, sendo que destes, 4.243 estavam infectados com cisticercose (1,18%). Foram detectados um total de 5.194 cisticercos, sendo 4.548 (87,56%) vivos e 646 (12,44%) calcificados. A maioria dos cisticercos estava localizada nos musculos mastigatorios masseteres e pterigoides (72,41%). Quanto a classificacao da cisticercose, de acordo com o grau de infeccao dos orgaos e/ou partes, a infeccao discreta foi a que mais ocorreu (92,36%). Verificou-se que os produtores rurais tiveram um total de R$ 1.755.204,20 (US$ 537.526,80) de perdas economicas durante o periodo analisado de oito anos devido a ocorr