Taenia saginata cysticercosis: a comparison of routine meat inspection and carcase dissection results in calves.

Seventy-nine calves aged between two and 12 months, originating from a known Taenia saginata endemic area, were slaughtered and the carcases subjected to routine meat inspection and afterwards dissected and sliced. At dissection 75.9 per cent were found infected. However, only 38.3 per cent of the infected carcases were detected at meat inspection. Of these, 21.7 per cent had cysts in the triceps muscle only. During slicing 34 out of 60 infected animals (56.7 per cent) were negative for cysts at the so-called predilection sites--muscles of mastication, tongue, heart, oesophagus and diaphragm.