Gross Reproductive Organs Abnormalities in Bulls of Northern Regions of Cameroon

Abstract

A cross-sectional study using systematic random sampling was conducted on ante mortem and postmortem examination of 602 intact bulls slaughtered at the Ngaoundere (201), Garoua (200) and Maroua (201) municipal abattoirs from April 2021 to September 2021 to determine prevalence and associated risk factors of gross reproductive pathologies observed in the reproductive tract. After slaughter and evisceration, the entire genital tract of each male was thoroughly inspected for gross pathological abnormalities. Visual inspection, palpation, serial and systematic dissections into the parenchyma of the testes and scrotum were performed to determine the presence and the extent of gross pathological changes via post mortem examination. The overall mean age (year), weight (kg) and BCS (body condition score) of bulls were 6.8±2.63, 173.80±16.08 and 2.4±0.3, respectively. Out of the 602 intact bulls examined, 165 (27.4%) were affected by one or more gross genital abnormalities. The genital part with the greatest rate of occurrence of reproductive disorder was testes (19.3%), followed by the penis (11.8%), the scrotum (1.5%) and the ducts (0.2%). Ngaoundere, Garoua and Maroua municipal slaughterhouses had prevalences of 26.9%, 35%, 14.4% respectively. Scrotal ectoparasitism was the most common disorder with an overall prevalence rate of 3.8% (n=23/602) followed by balanoposthitis (3,3%; n=20/602), unilateral testicular hypoplasia (3.0%; n=18/602), bilateral hypoplasia (2.8%; n=17/602), unilateral  atrophy (2,7%; n=16/602), testicular degeneration (2,5%; n=16/602), balanitis (2.5%; n=14/602). At the Ngaoundere, Garoua and Maroua municipal abattoirs, scrotal ectoparasitism (ticks) (9%; n=18/201), balanoposthitis (5.5%; n=11/200) and bilateral hypoplasia, unilateral and bilateral atrophy (2.5%; n=5/201), were the most common disorder, respectively. Weight and BCS did not vary significantly with genital-tract abnormalities (P>0.05).