Clinico- diagnosis and therapeutic management of babesiosis in cattle

Introduction

Tick-borne diseases (TBD) are hemoprotozoa infections that have a significant negative economic impact on farming communities and constitute a serious threat to livestock productivity in tropical and subtropical nations. (Sawitri et al., 2022) [1] Haemoprotozoan diseases are widely prevalent in Indian livestock. Babesiosis is the second most common hemoprotozoan disease affecting cattle in India. (Shah et al., 2019) [3] Babesiosis has been identified as a serious issue with significant economic implications for cows, with an annual financial loss of INR 580.16 crore in India (Narladkar, 2018) [4] . It is one of the most significant tick-borne illnesses that affect cattle and buffaloes and is caused by blood parasites belonging to the species Babesia. One-host hard ticks, Rhipicephalus spp., are the primary arthropod vectors of B. bigemina and B. bovis. The incubation period typically lasts two to three weeks following tick infestation (Joshi et al., 2020) [2] . Babesia bigemina is the most common species found in cows in India. Ticks called Riphicephalus microplus and Riphicephalus annulatus are responsible for the disease's natural transmission from affected to healthy animals (Shah et al., 2019) [3] . High fever (102.5 to 104.2 degrees Fahrenheit), anorexia, depression, lethargy, jaundice, emaciation, decreased milk production, hemoglobinuria, and anemia in advanced stages of infection are the main symptoms of babesiosis. Reduced Hb, PCV, and TEC, increased AST, hyperglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoproteinemia are indicators of hemato-biochemical changes (Rani et al., 2010) [2] . Acute infections characterized by fever, anemia (PCV falls below 20%), and hypotensive shock syndrome can result in death within a few days (Joshi et al., 2020; Francisco et al., 2013) [2,6] . The diagnosis of babesiosis is typically made using Giemsa-stained thin blood smears under oil immersion, hemato-biochemical examination, and serological or molecular techniques like PCR and ELISA. (D. Chandran, 2021) [7] .

History and Clinical Signs

A HF Crossbreed Cattle aged about 7 years with symptoms of dullness and depression, anorexia, suspended rumination, red urine and reduced milk yield was presented in the field. A Cattle was sick since last 4 days. Clinical examination revealed elevated temperature 103.7 °F, accelerated heart and respiration rate, Mucous membrane was icteric. Tick infestation was also observed on body coat. About 3 ml of blood was drawn from jugular venipuncture and placed in EDTA vials, and complete blood count was carried out. CBC Packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), total leucocytic count (TLC), differential leucocytic count (DLC) and the total erythrocytic count (TEC) were significantly decreased in accordance with CBC. Blood sample collected in EDTA vial was immediately processed for blood smear preparation. The blood smear prepared was fixed using absolute methanol and stained with Giemsa stain (1: 10 ratio) for 25 to 30 minutes. The slide is cleaned with running water, let to air dry, and then examined with a high-powered objective. Babesia bigemina piroplasm within the infected erythrocytes was visible under a microscope (100X) of the slide. Based on evidence of haemoglobinuria, Haematological findings and blood smear examination it was diagnosed as Babesiosis.

Treatment and Discussion

Cattle was treated with Inj. Dimenazine aceturate @ 5 mg/kg by deep intramuscular route, along with supportive therapy included Inj. meloxicam at the dose of 0.5 mg/ kg IM, Inj chlorpheniramine maleate 0.5 mg/kg IM, Inj. Liver extract 10 ml IM for 4 days and Feritas bolus orally at the dose of 2 bolus daily for 7 days. Injection ivermectine was also given @ 0.2 mg per kg body weight for tick control. After 2 days of treatment animal became afebrile and after 4 days of treatment colour of urine became normal further appetite and milk production was restored. The fast growth of Babesia organisms in peripheral blood vessels, which causes extensive intravascular hemolysis, phagocytosis of both infected and non-infected red blood cells, and bone marrow suppression due to decreased erythropoietic activity, may be the cause of the clinical symptoms, which include hemoglobinuria, anemia, and icterus. All of these could result in decreased Hb, PCV, and TEC values (Rani et al., 2010, Siddiqui et al., 2018) [2,8] . The erythrocytic indices (MCV, MCH, and MCHC) showed normocytic and normochromic anemia as a result of the intravascular hemolysis. Anaemic hypoxia resulted from it. The heart and lungs' compensatory mechanism for adequate tissue oxygenation caused an increase in pulse and respiratory rates (Tufani NA et al., 2015) [9] .

References

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