Therapeutic Management of Bovine Babesiosis in a Holstein Friesian Cross-Bred Heifer

Abstract

Babesia bigemina infection was diagnosed in two Holstein Friesian cross-bred cows (six and five years old) and a ten-month-old Holstein Friesian cross-bred heifer after 10 days of transportation. Heifer started to show the symptoms of high rise of temperature, pale conjunctiva and haemoglobinuria, whereas rest two cows did not show any clinical symptom. No ticks were observed after close examination of all three animals. B. bigemina was found in all three Giemsa stained blood smear. Since 2 cows did not show any clinical symptom of the disease hence, only the heifer was treated with diminazeneaceturate@ 5mg/kg body weight along with supportive drugs. Asymptomatic cows were left untreated; further, both these asymptomatic animals did not show any clinical symptom of the disease even after duration of 10 months. From that study we can conclude that presence of tick is not necessary for confirmation of disease and asymptomatic animals should not be treated for babesiosis.