Theileria annulata seroprevalence among different cattle breeds in Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh

Genetic Resistance of Bovines to Theileriosis

Diseases caused by ticks have a high impact on the health, welfare, and productivity of livestock species. They are also an important cause of economic losses in farms worldwide. An example of such diseases is theileriosis, which can be controlled by drugs or vaccines, although these are not fully efficient. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative and more sustainable and efficient complementary strategies. These may involve the identification and selection of animals more resistant to the disease. Several previous studies have identified significant differences in resistance between different breeds, with resistant breeds typically identified as those native to the region where they are being studied, and susceptible as those from exotic breeds. These studies have indicated that resistance traits are intrinsically related to the modulation of the immune response to infection. This review aims to systematize the general knowledge about theileriosis, emphasize resistance to this disease as a sustainable control strategy, and identify which traits of resistance to the disease are already known in cattle.

First Molecular detection of Theileria annulata in Bangladesh

In South Asia, Theileria annulata is known to be less pathogenic to local breeds of Bos indicus cattle comparing to Bos taurus cattle and some of mix breeds between them. Seroepidemiological surveys have revealed high sero-prevalence of T. annulata in asymptomatic local breeds of cattle in Bangladesh. Therefore, these asymptomatic infection in local breeds can be infectious sources to more sensitive breeds. In this study, 59 bloods of cattle showing no symptom were screened by species specific PCRs for hemoto-protozoan parasites, to prove the existence of T. annulata parasite in asymptomatic cattle in Bangladesh. The T. annulata infection was confirmed along with other parasitic species, and this is the first report of T. annulata DNA detection in Bangladesh.