Pakistan Vet. J., 25(3): 2005 INCIDENCE AND TREATMENT OF THEILERIASIS AND BABESIASIS I. A. Zahid, M. Latif and K. B. Baloch Research Institute for Physiology of Animal Reproduction Bhunikey, (Pattoki), District Kasur, Pakistan ABSTRACT A total of 50 adult cows each of Friesian and Jersey breed maintained at the Livestock Experiment Station Bhunikey (Pattoki) District Kasur were selected randomly for this study. Blood smears of all animals were prepared aseptically through standard procedure. The cows found positive for theileriasis were treated with Buparvaquone (Butalex) injection @ 5 ml/100 Kg b. wt. intramuscularly, while for the treatment of babesiasis, positive animals were treated with Imidocarb dipropionate 12% w/v (Imizol) @ 2 ml/100 Kg b. wt. I/M injection. Three days after medication, animals were re-tested for the presence of haemoparasites. The overall incidence of theileriasis in Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cows was 24 and 15 per cent, respectively, while the incidence of babesiasis was 2.5 per cent in both the breeds. The highest incidence of Theilaria, i.e., 38 and 30 per cent was observed in Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cows during 3 PPrd and 4 th quarter of the year, respectively. The lowest incidence of Theileria was observed during 1 st quarter in both Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cows (16 and 8 percent, respectively). The incidence of Babesia was observed only during 3 rd quarter of the study, which was 10 per cent in both the breeds. Butalex and Imizol injection showed 100 per cent effectiveness in both the breeds. Key words: Haemoparasites, blood smears, Theileriasis, Holstein-Friesian. INTRODUCTION Haemoparasites inflict losses to animals in term of morbidity and mortality due to their heavy incidence (Fadraga et al., 1991). If affected animals are not treated properly and efficiently, mortality rates become high. The haemoparasites include Babesia, Theileria, Anaplasma and Trypanosoma etc. but the most important are Babesia, Theileria and Anaplasma. These protozoa are transmitted through ticks. Haemoparasites are the protozoa present in animals specially in suckling calves, which are highly susceptible. Among various blood protozoan diseases, bovine babesiasis and theileriasis have been reported as diseases of major economic importance, as they cause heavy losses due to mortality, decreased production and lowered working efficiency of affected animals in the tropics and subtropics of the world, including Pakistan. Exotic and crossbred cattle are more susceptible to tick infestations than indigenous cattle. Many workers studied about various tickicidals. Muhammad et al. (1999) reported that Butalex was most effective in bovine theileriasis. The present study was, therefore, conducted to determine the incidence of blood protozoa in exotic cattle maintained at the Livestock Experiment Station Bhunikey (Pattoki), District Kasur. Moreover, efficacy of Buparvaquone (Butalex) and Imidocarb dipropionate 12% w/v (Imizol) for the treatment and control of haemoparasites was also tested. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experimental animals The study was designed to know about incidence of haemoparasites and efficacy of commercially available medicines for the treatment and control of haemoparasites in an exotic herd maintained at the Livestock Experiment Station Bhunikey (Pattoki), District Kasur. A total number of 50 adult cows each of Friesian and Jersey breeds were randomly selected in each of the four quarters of the study period from July 2003 to June 2004. Collection of blood samples Blood smears of all the selected animals were prepared aseptically on grease free sterile glass slides directly from the ear vein. The smears of blood were prepared according to the method described by Kreier and Barker (1987). Each cow was bled only once during each quarter of the study. The division of the quarter was 1 st : July to September 2003, 2 nd : from October to December 2003, 3 rd : from January to March, 137