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Development and application of a new liver pathology recording system for use in cattle abattoirs
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Development and application of a new liver pathology recording system for use in cattle abattoirs

Helen Owen, Emily Jones, Carla Kowald, Sebastian Hand, Michael McGowan, Rowland Cobbold, Tamsin S Barnes, Justine S Gibson, Shahab Ranjbar, Chiara Palmieri, …
Research in veterinary science, Vol.158, pp.164-184
05/2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2023.03.002
PMID: 37023570

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Abstract

beef cattle abattoir data collection tool liver pathology
Liver disease in beef cattle has a significant global economic impact on feedlot and abattoir industries due to reduced animal performance, carcase yield, and carcase quality. This study aimed to create a post-mortem data collection tool which could be deployed at chain speed on an abattoir floor, as well as to evaluate pathological findings in both normal and condemned livers from an Australian beef cattle population. The first 1006 livers were used to formulate a user-friendly, high-throughput liver grading tool for use in an abattoir setting and to evaluate the histological features of common liver abnormalities. Subsequently, over 11,000 livers from a Southeast Queensland abattoir were analyzed. The most observed defects in condemned livers were liver abscessation, fibrosis, adhesions, and liver fluke, with histological features similar to previous reports. Bacterial culture was performed in 29 cases of liver abscessation, revealing a different balance of flora to that reported internationally. This study has developed an easy to use, efficient data collection tool that enables rapid, highly detailed assessment of large numbers of beef cattle livers at slaughter. This tool will allow thorough investigation into the effect of liver disease on beef production, in both industry and research contexts.

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