Babesiosis of cattle

Abstract

Tick fever or cattle fever (babesiosis) is economically the most important arthropod-borne disease of cattle worldwide with vast areas of Australia, Africa, South and Central America and the United States continuously under threat. Tick fever was the first disease for which transmission by an arthropod to a mammal was implicated at the turn of the twentieth century and is the first disease to be eradicated from a continent (North America). This review describes the biology of Babesia spp. in the host and the tick, the scale of the problem to the cattle industry, the various components of control programmes, epidemiology, pathogenesis, immunity, vaccination and future research. The emphasis is on Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Bovine Babesiosis in Teltele District, Borena Zone, Southern Ethiopia

“…This is may be due to higher concentration of the former parasite in the capillary and veins than the latter parasite which evenly distributed in the whole blood vasculature. Previous studies have also indicated that cattle infected with B. bovis remain carriers for long periods, while those infected with B. bigemina remain carriers for only a few months [28].…”

Molecular detection of Babesia bigemina infection in apparently healthy cattle of central plain zone of Punjab

“…B. bigemina is protozoa of major concern in Indian cattle herds, parasitizing both cattle and buffaloes (Muraleedharan et al 1984). Further, buffaloes might serve as reservoirs for the infections of cattle, since they are together in the dairy farms and continue to infect the tick vector (Bock et al 2004).…”

“…The parasite is transmitted transovarially by the larval stages of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks (Chauvin et al 2009). Losses due to babesiosis to the livestock industry are enormous and are incurred from mortality, ill-thrift, loss of milk/meat production, draft power, cost on control measures, and also through its impact on international cattle trade (Bock et al 2004). India suffers losses of about 57.2 million US dollars annually due to impact of babesiosis and anaplasmosis on livestock and its control (McLeod and Kristjanson 1999).…”

Nilgai Antelope in Northern Mexico as a Possible Carrier for Cattle Fever Ticks and Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina

“…Such is the case with bovine babesiosis in the border region of Mé xico and the USA. Bovine babesiosis is a common and widely distributed arthropod-transmitted disease (Homer et al, 2000) and is considered the most economically important disease of livestock (Bock et al, 2004). The disease is caused by the protozoan parasites Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis, transmitted to the host by the tick vectors Rhipicephalus annulatus and Rhipicephalus microplus (Bock et al, 2004), known as cattle fever ticks (CFTs).…”

“…Bovine babesiosis is a common and widely distributed arthropod-transmitted disease (Homer et al, 2000) and is considered the most economically important disease of livestock (Bock et al, 2004). The disease is caused by the protozoan parasites Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis, transmitted to the host by the tick vectors Rhipicephalus annulatus and Rhipicephalus microplus (Bock et al, 2004), known as cattle fever ticks (CFTs). Although cattle are the main host for CFTs, other ungulates such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; Hagan and Bruner, 1951;Cantú et al, 2007), sheep (Ovis aries; Mungall and Sheffield, 1994), and nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus; Sheffield et al, 1983) have been found with CFTs.…”