Beef Measles

General description

Small cysts in the muscle of cattle that have eaten pastures contaminated with the infective stage of the human tapeworm (Tania saginata).
This can lead to the development of Cysticerius Bovis or Beef Measles.
The adult tapeworm typically has little impact in human hosts, occasionally cystic intermediate stages can lodge in the brain producing neurological signs.
Muscles most affected in cattle are diaphragm, heart, tongue and jaw muscles.
Cysts are detected at meat inspection and require trimming to ensure the meat is not consumed by humans.

Cause

Infected humans pass eggs in their faeces, which if they find their way onto pasture may be consumed by grazing cattle.
This can be sewerage/septic overflow or runoff, or by inadequate treatment of run-off water or by migratory birds who have had access to sewerage sites.
After consuming infected pastures, the eggs hatch in the animal’s gut and migrate through the body to form cysts in target muscles.
Humans who eat live cysts (in infected and rare-cooked beef) go on to develop adult tapeworms in their small intestine.

Clinical signs

Infected cattle show no outward signs of infection and there is no production loss.

Diagnosis

Cysts are diagnosed at meat inspection.
Infected cattle are traced to their property of origin and the property is subject to follow-up to determine how the cattle became infected.
Other cattle from the property are subject to more detailed meat inspection until the problem resolves.
This is because routine meat inspection may not detect all infected carcases.

Treatment

Prevention

Preventing tapeworm eggs entering grazing pasture is the key to lowering the risk of Cysticerius Bovis or Beef Measles.
This can include fencing and management of septic and sewerage system drainage, suitable treatment of effluent and exclusion of cattle from contaminated pasture.
Cooking beef beyond rare (at least to 57°C) and/or freezing beef (10 days at -10°C) will kill the cysts and prevent human infection.

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