Prevalence and Significance of Haemoparasitic Infections of Cattle in North-Central, Nigeria

Abstract

The prevalence and significance of hemoparasites of cattle from north-central Nigeria was determined using diagnostic records from Parasitology Division, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, from May 2006 to April 2008.A total of 637 blood samples from cattle from four states (Plateau, Bauchi, Nasarawa and Kaduna) of Nigeria in anticoagulant were submitted to the laboratory for parasitological diagnosis. Giemsa stained thin blood smears were examined for hemoparasites.Packed cell volume (PCV) for each sample was determined and Hematocrit centrifuge technique (HCT) was used to determine the presence of motile parasites. An overall prevalence of 25.7% was recorded for all samples examined. Babesia bigemina and B.bovis accounted for 16.0%, followed by Theileria mutans (3.1%), Trypanosoma spp (T.vivax and T. congolense) (2.8%), Anaplasma marginale (1.9%), Microfilaria (1.4%).The hemoparasites identified alone or in combination with others had a significant (P<0.05) effect on the mean PCV of infected animals. Similarly, hemoparasites infection in young animals as well as during the dry season resulted in significant (P<0.05) reduction of PCV values.The result of this study shows these hemoparasites are endemic in cattle in the study area which may result in serious disease conditions when such animals are subjected to stressful condition. Keywords: Prevalence, Significance, hemoparasites, cattle, Nigeria.