Prevalence and molecular characterization of tick-borne cattle haemoparasites in Tripura, India

Tick-borne haemoparasities (TBHs) cause substantial economic loss to the livestock population due to reduced productivity and working efficiency of the animals along with high mortality rate in untreated cases. A total of 240 blood samples were collected from native (N = 95) and crossbred cattle (N = 145) over 12 months. Microscopical examination of Giemsa-stained thin blood smears and PCR revealed that 27.08% of the animals were infected with at least one TBH. Theileria spp. was the most prevalent (18.75%), followed by Anaplasma spp. (11.25%), mixed infection (6.66%) and Babesia spp. (3.75%). Significantly higher prevalence (p < 0.01) was observed in crossbred (32.14%), female (27.43%), adult cattle (32.61%), and during the monsoon season (34.29%). Molecular comparison of the PCR amplified nucleotide sequences targeting MPSP, msp4, and 18S rRNA in five isolates of T. orientalis and one each of B. bigemina and A. marginale confirmed the presence of T. orientalis, A. marginale, and B. bigemina. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates were closely related to those found in neighboring countries like China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The findings highlight the significant prevalence of TBHs in Tripura, which warrants widespread screening of animals covering all the districts along with study on vector biology.