Mesenteric and mediastinal lymph node infection with Linguatula serrata nymphs in sheep slaughtered in Kerman slaughterhouse, southeast Iran.

This research was carried out in order to detect the prevalence of nymphal stages of Linguatula serrata in mediastinal and mesenteric lymph nodes of sheep slaughtered in Kerman slaughterhouse, southeast of Iran. For this purpose, mesenteric and mediastinal lymph nodes of 806 sheep of different sex and age were examined. One hundred and thirty out of 806 (16.1%) of the sheep were found positive for L. serrata infection. The infection rate increased with age (P < 0.001). Prevalence of L. serrata nymphs in males and females and different seasons was not significantly different (P > 0.05). Considering the results, it could be concluded that the prevalence of L. serrata in sheep of Kerman is high and plays an important role in epidemiology of linguatulosis. The zoonotic potential of this parasite to human health is discussed.