Survey for hydatidosis in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory of Australia.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether hydatidosis occurs in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory. DESIGN A survey utilising two stage sampling was designed to provide 95% confidence of detecting hydatids in cattle with a herd prevalence of 10% and animal prevalence of 10%. PROCEDURE For a 1 year abattoir killing season, lesions from the liver and/or lung were collected from 4348 cattle being slaughtered at a Northern Territory abattoir and examined for hydatid cysts. The origin of cattle was established through identification of the brand. RESULTS Sample sizes of 41 or more Northern Territory bred cattle were achieved for each of 29 properties. No hydatid cysts were found in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory. CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that a cycle of hydatid transmission does not occur in the northern region of the Northern Territory.