A study on the prevalence of a tick-transmitted pathogen, Theileria annulata, and hematological profile of cattle from Southern Punjab (Pakistan).

The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Theileria annulata in large ruminants in Southern Punjab (Pakistan). Blood samples were collected from 144 large ruminants, consisting of 105 cattle and 39 buffaloes, from six districts of Southern Punjab including Multan, Layyah, Muzaffar Garh, Bhakar, Bahawalnagar, and Vehari. Data on the characteristics of the animals and herds were collected through questionnaires. The age of animals (P = 0.02), presence of ticks on animals (P = 0.02), and presence of ticks on dogs associated with herds (P = 0.05) were among the major risk factors involved in the spread of tropical theileriosis in the study area. Two different parasite detection techniques, PCR amplification and screening of Giemsa-stained slides, were compared, and it was found that PCR amplification is a more sensitive tool (19% parasite detection) as compared to smear scanning (3% parasite detection) for the detection of T. annulata. Twenty eight out of 144 animals produced the 721-bp fragment specific for T. annulata from five out of six sampling districts. Different blood (hemoglobin, glucose) and serum (ALT, AST, LDH, cholesterol) parameters of calves and cattle were measured and compared between parasite-positive and parasite-negative samples to assess the effect of T. annulata on the blood and serological profile of infected animals.