Texas Cattle Fever

Babesiasis Red Water Fever

Tick Fever
Piroplasmosis
Presented by:
M.Adnan Sabir
M-Phil Parasitology
Presented to:
Dr. Rao Zahid Abbas
 Outline
 General Introduction
 Classification
 Host Range
 Transmission
 Life Cycle
 Clinical Findings
 Diagnosis
 Treatment & Prevention
 Zoonotic Risk
 Miscellaneous Species
 Refferences
 Babesia
 An apicomplexan parasite that infects red blood cells
 Transmitted by ticks
Riphicephalous
Ixodes
 Zoonotic Importance
 Economic, Medical & Veterinary Impact
 Babesia
Classification:

 Domain  Eukaryota
 Phylum  Apicomplexa
 Class  Aconoidasida
 Order  Piroplasmida
 Family  Babesiidae
 Genus  Babesia
 Species  B.Bigemina, Babesia Bovis
 Babesia

Host Range:
 Cattle
 Sheep
 Goats
 Pig
 Dogs
 Occasionally Human
Geographical Distribution:
 Africa, Asia, Australia
 Central and South America
 Babesia

Transmission:
 B.Bovis Adult tick  Progeny via eggs  Tick  Cattle
 B.Bigemina  Adult tick  Progeny via eggs  Tick 
Cattle
Factors that determine the clinical disease risk
 Immunity level of calf
 Breed Susceptibility
Babesia
 Clinical Findings
 Acute disease  1 Week
 Fever (≥106°F )
 Inappetence
 ↑ Respiratory Rate
 Muscle Tremor
 Anemia
 Jaundice
 Weight Loss
 Haemoglubinurea
 Heamoglubinemia Final Stages
 Clinical Findings

 CNS involvement (Sometime)

 Either Constipation or maybe Diarrhea
 Abortion in females
 Temporary infertility in males
 No Signs during carrier stage
 Diagnosis
 Clinical Signs
 Giemsa stained blood smear (Confirmation)
 Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test
 ELISA
 Real-time PCR (Carrier Stage)
Courtesy of state of Queensland, Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Giemsa stained Babesia Bigemina- Giemsa stained Babesia Bovis-

infected erythrocyte infected erythrocyte
 Treatment
 Diminazene Aceturate @ 3.5mg/kg IM
 Imidocarb Diprpionate @1.2mg/kg SC & @3mg/kg SC
provide immunity for 4 wk
 Anti-inflammatory Drugs
 Corticosteroid
 Fluid Therapy
 Blood Transfusion (Anemia)
 Prevention & Control
 Live attenuated vaccine
(Chilled or Frozen form)
 Use of recombinant antigens
(Commercial Vaccine not available yet)
 Control of tick vector
 Zoonotic Risk
 One Health Concept
 3 ways to get infection
1-Tick Bite (Ixodes sp.)
2-Blood Transfusion
3-Congenital Ways

 Babesia Microti
Notorious Agents
 Babesia Divergens
 Babesia Caballi
 Causes Babesiosis in Equines
 Vector  Dermacenter sp. (Tick)
 Signs include Fever, anemia & Icterus
 Recovered animals  Carriers for several years
 Nervous signs & circling movement (Occasionally)
 Diagnosis  Simple blood smear & Complement fixation test
 Prevention  Tick control & Carrier animals Rx
 Babesia Canis
 Piroplasma Canis
 Causative agent of canine babesiosis
 Vector  Riphicephalous & Dermacenter sp. (Tick)
 Life cycle  not completely understood
 Loss of condition, anemia, icterus, prostration & death
 Intermittent fever
 Diagnosis  Blood Smear
 Prevention  Tick Control & Infected animal Rx
 Babesia Sp.
Species Causative Agent

Cattle B.Divergens & B.Major

Horses T.Equi & B.Caballi

Sheep & Goats B.Ovis & B.Motasi

Pigs B trautmanni & B perroncitoi

Dogs & Cats B canis, B vogeli, and B rossi

 Shapes of Different Babesia Sp.
Babesia Sp. Shape

Babesia Bigemina Pyriform, may be round or oval (in

pairs)

Babesia Caballi Trophozoite Round or oval (in pairs)

2-4 µm long

Babesia Canis Pyriform

4-5 µm long

Babesia Equi Round or ameboid (4 organism joined)

Individual organism 2-3 µm long
 References
 Malherbe, W. D. 1956. The manifestations and diagnosis of Babesia
infections. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Set. 64:128-46.
 Neitz, W. O. 1956. Classification, transmission, and biology of piroplasms of
domestic animals. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 64:56-111.
 Smith, T., and F. L. Kilborne. 1893. Investigations into the nature, causation
and prevention of Texas or southern cattle fever. U.S.D.A., Bur. An. Ind. Bull.
1:1301.
 Bryant, J. E., J. B. Anderson, and K. H. Willers. 1969. Control of equine
piroplasmosis in Florida. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 154:1034-36.
 Holbrook. H. A., A. J. Johnson, and P. A. Madden. 1968. Equine
piroplasmosis: intraerythrocytic development of Babesia cabelli and Babesia
equi. Am. J. Vet. Res. 29:297-303.
 Shortt, H. E. 1973. Babesia canis-. the life cycle and laboratory maintenance
in its arthropod and mammalian hosts. Intl. J. Parasitol. 3:119-48.
 For Detail Study:
A Handbook of Veterinary Parasitology
By Henry J.Griffiths
• Any question