Frequency of Theileriosis in Cows in Tehsil Paharpur, Dera Ismail Khan

Abstract

Bovine Theileria is an intracellular parasite that infects its hosts with both severe and mild illnesses, clinically characterized by pyrexia, lymphadenitis, conjunctivitis, diarrhea and ocular discharges. It is a highly economical infection therefore, this research was conducted for investigation of occurrence of theileriosis in cows in Tehsil Paharpur of Dera Ismail Khan through a hematological investigation of 384 cows during the year 2021-22. The overall Theileria prevalence in cattle was 12.23%, most of the affected population comprised females revealing 12.35% (44/356) positive cases with Theileria, while a 10.71% prevalence rate was recorded in males (3/28). Season-wise prevalence was highest (p<0.05) in the summer season (19.79%), followed by rainy (14.58%), and spring (8.33%) and the lowest incidence was recorded in winters (6.25%). Age-wise prevalence of theileriosis indicated that animals of age less than a year (16.09%) were more prone to the infection (p<0.05) than the age group of 1-3 years (11.79%) and above (9.41%), respectively. It was thus concluded that in Tehsil Paharpur, theileriosis was determined to be quite widespread in cattle. There is a need for additional research using molecular techniques to identify the infection's carriers, and preventative measures must be implemented to eradicate the infection.