Molecular detection of , and infection in cattle and buffaloes in India.

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Tick-borne pathogens pose a significant global threat, causing substantial economic losses to the dairy industry. In India, tropical theileriosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and trypanosomiasis are major hemo-parasitic diseases affecting bovines. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hemo-parasites in different farms in India. PCR assays were employed to detect carrier status, using gene targets and for and species, respectively. Out of the 578 apparently healthy animals screened, 30.45% (95% CI: 26.84-34.32%) were infected with at least one hemo-parasite. Cattle showed an overall positivity of 32.87%, while buffaloes had a prevalence of 15.19%, which was statistically significant ( < 0.001). Interestingly, prevalence was higher in indigenous cattle (47.81%) compared to cross-breeds (25.53%) and exotics (14.62%), with a statistically significant difference ( < 0.001). The prevalence of hemo-parasites varied widely among the farms, ranging from 5.77 to 100%. was the most prevalent parasite (23.70% of animals), followed by (13.67%), species (1.90%), and species (1.56%). Enzootic instability was observed in six of the eight farms, indicating a potential for future outbreaks. Co-infection was detected in 60 out of 176 animals positive for hemo-parasites, with 59 animals co-infected with and , and only one cross-breed cattle infected with both and . The findings highlight the prevalence of hemo-parasites in farms, underscoring the need for whole-herd screening, treatment of infected animals, and improvement in farm management practices to prevent production losses caused by these pathogens.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-024-01673-3.