Studies on prevalence of theileriosis and assessment of its risk factors among cattle in and around Udaipur, Rajasthan

Objective: To study the prevalence of theileriosis in cattle in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Material and Method: The animals were screened for Theileriosis from May 2019 to April 2020 in the Udaipur region irrespective of age, sex and breed. Animals showing clinical manifestations were screened and subjected to blood smear examination. Result: A total of 836 blood samples were collected from cattle. The overall prevalence of theileriosis was 67.22% whereas the prevalence of mixed haemoprotozoan infection was 18.54%, and 14.23% were negative for any haemoprotozoan infection. The age-wise analysis revealed the highest prevalence in older cattle (>5years) as compared to that in younger cattle of 1-2 years. Sex-wise prevalence study revealed that females were more affected by the infection. The prevalence was higher in crossbred cattle as compared to indigenous cattle during the present study. The seasonal analysis revealed the highest prevalence in the summer season followed by rainy, spring and winter. During the study period, the highest prevalence was recorded in May and lowest prevalence in December. Conclusion: We concluded that non-descript breed and younger animals were less prone to Haemoprotozoan infection whereas vice versa for older and crossbred. Extra care and managemental practices required to avoid economic losses due to high Haemoprotozoan prevalence in summer and monsoon.