Babesiosis in cattle is a serious parasitic disease with a 90% mortality rate in cattle, in addition to its zoonotic importance that threatens humans.
So, it's the issue that dr. provet will address through this article, including:
What's Babesiosis in cattle?
What's the difference between Babesiosis and babesiasis?
Causative agents of Babesiosis.
Mode of transmission of babesiosis in cattle.
Clinical signs of babesiosis in Cattle.
Postmortem lesions of Babesiosis in cattle.
Diagnosis of babesiosis in Cattle.
Treatment of babesiosis in Cattle.
What's Babesiosis in cattle?
It is an acute, subacute, or chronic infectious disease of cattle, characterized by fever, intravascular hemolysis of R.B.Cs. causing the syndrome of anemia, hemoglobinuria, and icterus.
This disease can also affect buffaloes, sheep, and goats.
It has several other names, including:
Texas fever.
Red Water Fever.
Cattle Tick Fever.
Enzootic hemoglobinuria.
What's the difference between Babesiosis and babesiasis?
Babesiosis indicates acute infection with babesia species.
While babesiasis indicates a subclinical infection that occurs after clinical recovery.
Causative agents of Babesiosis
This parasitic disease is caused by babesia species which characterized by:
These parasites occur in the erythrocytes of mammals.
They are pear-shaped and arranged in pairs.
The parasite with Giemsa stain, the cytoplasm stained blue, and the nucleus red.
The babesia species are described collectively as "large" or "small" based on their size, which also serves as a crude indicator of their susceptibility to chemotherapy.
The large type of babesia is less pathogenic and more susceptible to treatment.
Babesia is host-specific in that parasites of one species of animals are not infectious to other species. Thus no cross-immunity between different species of the parasite.
The species of babesia that cause the disease in cattle include:
Babesia bigemina (large):
Two parasites are commonly seen in the R.B.Cs forming an acute angle.
It is the cause of Texas fever of cattle in America and other countries such as Egypt.
It is transmitted by Boophilus species ticks.
Babesia bovis (Argentina) (small):
Two parasites are commonly seen in the R.B.Cs at the margin of the cell forming an obtuse angle at their pointed ends.
It produces the disease known as red water or Enzootic hemoglobinuria and is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks.
Babesia divergens
It is a small type of babesia that is transmitted by Ixodes tick.
Mode of transmission of babesiosis in cattle
The infected ticks are the main source of Babesiosis infection.
The disease can be transmitted through different modes, including:
Intrauterine transmission (Babesia ovis, Babesia bovis, and Babesia caballi).
Through the bite of the ticks by two means, including:
Stage to stage transmission (Transstadial):
The larvae take the infection with blood meal during feeding on infected animals.
These larvae during the growing to nymphal stage the parasite reaches its salivary glands and becomes infective.
A clean nymph feeds on an infected animal, the infection is transmitted when the nymph grows to the adult stage.
At the nymph stage, although it harbors the infection, it is not infectious unless it becomes an adult.
Transovarial transmission:
The adult feeds on an infected animal.
The parasite reaches the ovaries, multiplies there and the offsprings are infected i.e. all the larvae harbor the infection but they are not infectious unless they become nymphs.
Mechanically by needles or surgical instruments.
The parasite multiply by binary fission in the erythrocytes of animals, therefore the infection can be transmitted mechanically.
Clinical signs of babesiosis in Cattle:
Cattle infected by babesiosis show specific clinical signs, including:
High fever up to 40-42C.
Anorexia.
Cessation of rumination.
Decrease of milk production.
Increased respiratory and heart rates.
Mucous membranes are congested but soon become pale then icteric in terminal stages.
Bloody urine and sometimes produces stable froths.
Abortion of pregnant cows.
Muscle tremors, difficult breathing, subnormal temperature, and cold extremities are signs of approaching death.
Pipestem feces may occur in Babesia bovis and Babesia divergens infected cattle due to spasms of the anal sphincter causing the passage of pipe stem feces (coiling of feces).
Cerebral babesiosis
It occurs in the terminal stages of the disease due to the accumulation of erythrocytes in the brain capillaries.
This stage is characterized by mania, convulsions, ataxia, incoordination, posterior paralysis, coma, and death.
The mortality rate is high despite treatment.
Postmortem lesions of Babesiosis in cattle
The dead cow shows:
Presence of ticks on the carcass.
Jaundice.
Enlargement of spleen, kidney, and liver.
The gallbladder is distended with bile.
The urinary bladder contains reddish urine.
Diagnosis of babesiosis in Cattle:
This serious disease can be diagnosed through:
Clinical signs and lesions.
Laboratory diagnosis includes:
Microscopical examination of blood smears stained by Giemsa stain.
Serological examination using CFT, IFAT, and ELISA.
Severe anemia: with RBCs count drops from 8 million per c. ml to as low as 2 million per c. ml and hemoglobin level from 13 gm% to 3 gm% in fatal cases.
Transmission test by inoculation of 50-100 ml of blood S/C or I.V in the splenectomized calf from the tick-free area.
Babesia spp. can be demonstrated in the blood of experimentally infected calves. This method is suitable for chronic cases.
Differential diagnosis:
Babesiosis in cattle should be differentiated from other different diseases, including:
Anaplasmosis:
It is usually less acute and relapses are more common.
Leptospirosis:
It is a febrile disease characterized by dark red urine
The milk is tinged with blood, while the udder is flaccid.
There is fever and leptospirosis can be detected in blood smears.
The disease has a much shorter course than babesiosis and anaplasmosis.
Bacillary hemoglobinuria:
It is a febrile disease caused by Clostridium Hemolyticum,
characterized by typical liver infarcts and normal spleen.
This disease is confirmed by:
Isolation of clostridia from the liver infarcts and serum of infected animals contains clostridial toxin and when added to normal blood cells suspended in normal saline, hemolysis soon occurs.
Hypophosphatemia:
It is a non-febrile, deficiency disorder in which serum analysis shows disturbance in calcium: phosphorus ratios with a marked decrease in the inorganic phosphorus level.
There is a history that the animal has been kept for a long time on a diet of low phosphorus content, such as berseem.
Treatment of babesiosis in Cattle
The treatment of babesiosis in cattle can be classified into:
Specific drugs (antibabesial drugs), including:
Quinurnioum derivative:
Acaprin, 5% solution 1ml/50kg bodyweight S/C in the tail fold or dewlap with a maximum dose of 6 ml.
The full dose (6m) should be divided into two doses with 12 hours intervals.
The drug is a parasympathetic stimulant that results in salivation, tremors, sweating, frequent urination, and diarrhea.
S/C injection of adrenaline 5-10 ml (1/1000) or atropine sulfate 1ml/100kg body weight is indicated to control the side effect of the drug.
Diminazene Aceturate (Berenil):
This drug is administered as 7% solution 1.M. with the dose of 4mg/kg b.wt. for cattle.
a circulatory stimulant should be given due to the drug is a parasympathetic stimulant.
The drug is well tolerated by horses and dogs.
Imidocarb dipropionate 12% (ImizoL):
It's a sterile solution used for the treatment of all clinical cases of Babesiosis in cattle (1 ml/100 kg by S/C injection)
Supportive treatment:
Providing a supplement to the cattle when treating babesiosis in cattle is a vital step to compensate for its bad health condition.
The supportive treatment includes:
Arsenical preparations.
Vitamin AD3E or multivitamins.
Hematinics which is preferred to contain vitamin B and should be administered I/v or I/m twice weekly.
Blood transfusion:
7 ml heparinized blood per kg body weight I/v once only (heparin is used as 0.1 ml 1% solution to 5 ml blood).
Treatment of babesiosis in cattle isn't the end, so follow dr. Provet's next article is about the zoonotic importance of disease and how to control it.
Written by: Dr. Mai Foda
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