Epidemiological Surveillance and Risk Assessment of Bovine Babesiosis in New Valley Governorate, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

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depaartment of parasitology, faculty of veterinary medicine, new valley university

Abstract

Babesia spp. infection is a tick-borne prorozoan disease affecting cattle, leading to significant economic and health impacts. This study investigated the clinical manifestations, microscopic findings, and risk factors associated with Babesia spp. infection in cattle, focusing on season, gender, age, pregnancy status, and tick infestation. A total of 400 cattle were examined, with a 30.5% infection rate. Clinical signs included fever, weight loss, hemoglobinuria, jaundice, and tick infestations, with Giemsa-stained blood smears confirming intra-erythrocytic piroplasms. Seasonal variation significantly influenced infection rates, with the highest in autumn and summer (35.45% and 34.62%, respectively), and the lowest in spring (22.22%, P = 0.048). Gender showed no significant association with infection (P = 0.8), while cattle aged 1–3 years exhibited higher infection rates (36.8%). Pregnancy status was significantly associated with infection (P = 0.0054), with non-infected cattle being more likely to be pregnant. Although 88.5% of infected cattle were tick-infested, no significant correlation was found between tick infestation and Babesia infection (P = 0.1642). These findings suggest that seasonal factors and pregnancy status play a critical role in Babesia transmission, while gender and tick infestation are less influential.

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