A survey on gross pathologic lesions on bovine livers and kidneys from a Halal abattoir in Cotabato City, Philippines.

Postmortem examination of food animals during slaughter enables the identification of illnesses and health issues that subvert the quality of carcasses and offal. Gross pathological lesions seen at slaughter have important economic impact and implications on the Halal wholesomeness of these food items, and therefore there is a need to identify them. The study identified and described the gross pathological lesions found on the livers and kidneys of cattle slaughtered in a Halal abattoir in Cotabato City, Philippines from December 12, 2020 to January 28, 2021. A total of seventy (70) cattle were included in the study: 70 livers and 140 kidneys were collected and examined. The lesions identified in the bovine livers included fibrosis (15.71%), cholangitis (15.71%), liver fluke migratory tracts (1.43%), and cirrhosis (2.9%). Among the kidneys examined, white spotted kidneys (10.71%), renal infarcts (10.71%), renal atrophy (6.43%), amyloidosis (5.71%), ecchymosis (4.29%), myoglobinuria (2.86%), hydronephrosis (2.86%), pyelonephritis (2.14%) and renal cyst (1.43%) were the lesions seen. Numerous gross pathological lesions were identified among the livers and kidneys assessed in the current study. Production and health management practices must be improved if the occurrence of these economically important pathological lesions is to be reduced.