Singh, B.B.G. K, Megha2019-10-172019-10-172019http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810131576Taenia solium cysticercosis is an important parasitic disease with animal and human health significance. Studies have shown that T. solium is endemic in Punjab. Till date no studies were conducted in Punjab to know the risk of T. solium infection in pork produced in Punjab and to know the effectiveness of oxfendazole against T. solium in pigs reared in Punjab. A Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) model was constructed to understand the risk of human T. solium infection from pork produced in Punjab. The analysis was conducted in R statistical software. Missing data on pig slaughtering practices and pork consuming population were collected through surveillance. To determine the frequency of pork consumption, a total of 922 subjects were surveyed. Out of 117 pork consumers, 115 consumed cooked pork while only 2 persons showed their preference for consuming raw pork. A significant association of pork consumption with sex, education and residence was recorded. The results showed that that there is a probability of 0.0242 (95% CI, 0.0079-0.0783) that any one pork meal contains at least one cyst before cooking. The probability that any one pork meal containing at least one viable cyst in Punjab before cooking was found to be 0.0121 (95% CI, 0.0039- 0.0391). Probability of any one pork meal being infective after cooking at consumption was found to be is 0.0003 (95% CI, 0.000-0.0018). A randomized controlled trail was conducted to know the effect of oxfendazole in controlling T. solium cysticercosis in pigs in Punjab. We selected 60 pigs 4 months of age and pigs were randomly assigned in three groups: T1 group (Treatment 1; Treated with 30mg/kg b.wt of oxfendazole at 4months old age; n=20), T2 group (Treatment 2; Treated with 30mg/kg b.wt of oxfendazole at 9months old age; n=20) and the C group (Control; Treated with placebo; n=20). Serological status of these pigs against T. solium was tested using sandwich antigen ELISA at 4, 9 and 12 months of age. Three pigs from T1 (treatment 1) group were positive at 4 months but became negative in subsequent samplings. One pig from the control group turned seropositive during the course of the study. However, none of the pigs was found positive from the treatment groups. This study showed that oxfendazole is an effective control measure against T. solium infection in Punjab but further studies should be conducted to prove statistical significance of this studyennullThesis