Abstract
Bovine babesiosis is considered one of the most economically important tick-borne diseases in tropical and subtropical areas. Thus, it is important to understand the disease in terms causative agent, vectors, hosts, and distribution. Babesia is the causative agent of the disease and has a life cycle both in the invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. The major bovine species are B. bovis, B. bigemina, found in the tropics and sub tropics while B. divergens and B. major are found in the temperate regions. Bovine babesiosis is transmitted by the one-host cattle ticks, formerly in the genus Boophilus and now Rhipicephalus. In endemic areas are tick management, immunization, and anti-babesia drugs or by a combination. Chemotherapy is important for controlling the disease either to treat field cases or to control artificially induced infections. Conventional drugs for treating bovine babesiosis are Imidocarb dipropionate and Diminazene aceturate. Ticks are controlled by application of acaricides, but tick resistance and environmental pollution are drawbacks.
TopBackground
Bovine babesiosis or Tick fever or cattle fever as mentioned above is economically the most important arthropod-borne disease of cattle worldwide. This is attributed to the fact that it has a vast distribution in areas of Australia, Africa, South and Central America and the United States. Tick fever was the first disease for which transmission by an arthropod to a mammal was implicated at the turn of the twentieth century (Bock et al., 2004). The importance of this disease cannot be further emphasized and to get a more understanding of the condition this section will be discussed under Aetiology as described in different species and Epidemiology of the disease
Aetiology
The causative agent, Babesia is divided into two groups namely small and large Babesia based on morphology. Small Babesia averagely measure 1.0–2.5 μm long and comprises Babesia bovis, Babesia gibsoni, Babesia. Microti, Babesia rodhaini Babesia divergens among others.
Figure 1. Babesia bovis and Babesia caballi
The large Babesia measure 2.5–5.0 μm long and include Babesia bigemina, Babesia caballi, Babesia canis among others (Laha et al., 2015). The size to a great extend determines how the parasites appear in red blood cells (RBC) on a giemsa stained blood smear. Large pyriform parasites meet at their pointed ends at an acute angle to each other and small forms make an obtuse angle to each other (Ruprah, 1985). Some animals affected with Babesia will show overt disease while others show no clinical disease. There are more than 100 species of Babesia species with potential to infect diverse mammalian species (Hunfeld et al., 2008).
Based on the morphology of different Babesia species the following are some species of animals affected by the different types of Babesia.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Transovarially: Is a process where there is passage of parasites or disease causing agents from maternal body to eggs in the ovary or ovaries.
Acaricides: Chemicals substances that kill ticks and mites.
Aetiology: Is the causative agent of a particular disease or condition.
(Bm86): Recombinant antigen composed of glycoproteins, located on the surface of the intestinal cells of ticks.
Endemic Stability: Is a host-vector-pathogen interaction with a high level of challenge to young hosts without clinical disease and a high level of immunity in adult hosts resulting in low incidence of clinical disease.
Babesioses: A complex of a number of diseases caused by Babesia spp that affect various animals and humans.
Haemoglobinuria: Abnormally high concentration of haemoglobin in urine.