PREVALENCE OF THEILERIOSIS AND ITS IMPACT ON HAEMOTOLOGICAL VALUES IN NATURALLY INFECTED BUFFALOES AT HYDERABAD

Abstract

The prevalence of Theleria annulata in buffaloes was determined through clinical findings and microscopic examination in peri-urban and urban areas of Hyderabad, Pakistan. Out of 2400 buffaloes evaluated during the study, 1845 (76.87%) were found infested with ticks. The overall prevalence of ticks was 970 (80.8%) in peri-urban and 875 (72.91%) in urban regions of Hyderabad. Ranking of predilection sites of tick infestation in buffaloes revealed that external genitalia, udder and perineum were most infested (54%), followed by dewlap (23%), inner thighs (10%) neck and back (5%), tail (3%), ears (2%), around eyes (1%), flanks (1%) and legs (1%). Out of these 1845 tick infested bovine samples, 1680 (91.05%) were found positive for Theileria species by     Giemsa-stained method. The microscopic hematological examination revealed the prevalence of 70%Theleiria annulata in the Hyderabad. The infected buffaloes showed clinical signs such as fever, anorexia, hair loss, open mouth with difficulty in breathing, lymph node enlargement, and protrusion of eyes, red skin and weakness. However, suspected buffaloes exhibited normal feed intake, urination and defecation during the survey. The occurrence of the parasitic infection was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the peri-urban areas than in urban areasFindings of the present study revealed that peri urban buffaloes were more susceptible to theileriosis in comparison to urban buffaloesTwenty four hundred blood samples were randomly collected from urban and          peri-urban regions of Hyderabad, Pakistan. Haemotological studies revealed that Theileria annulata in buffaloes significantly produced effect (P<0.01) on erythrocyte and leukocyte indices, whereas, platelet indices remained unaffected from Theileria annulata in buffaloes.