Kangaroo Island Cat Control Committee

• 3/46 cats positive (survey 2004/05)
• Sarco in dead sheep muscle stays infective for 4 -14 days depending on the temperature
• Cats produce sporocysts about 10 days after eating infected sheep muscle
• Cats can produce up to 7000 cysts per gram of faeces

• Once a sheep eats the cysts off the pasture they re-appear in the muscle in 35 days and are clearly visible 10 - 14 months later
• At the final stage, they look like small grains of rice

Abattoir Condemnations 2003/04

Carcasse Trimming for Sarco

Sarco Costs

• One abattoir estimates $15,000 stock condemned

• 150,000 sheep at $1.50
• Loss $225,000 annually
• Average flock loses $2000 annually