The prevalence and clinico-haematological changes of protozoan diseases in food animals in Alabata, Abeokuta

Abstract

One hundred and fifty eight samples were collected from various species of food animals, namely bovine, ovine, porcine and caprine to investigate the prevalence of various natural haemoparasitic protozoan infections namely trypanosomosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and theileriosis. Most importantly, the bovine and ovine showed high susceptibility to haemoparasitic
protozoan infection with 13.6% and 15.18% respectively. The ovine also showed 16% prevalence with mixed infection of two or more of anaplasmosis, babesiosis and theileriosis respectively. Porcine is the least predisposed to haemoparasitic infections. The clinico-haematological picture shows that anaemia is common to all species, there was eosinophilia and lymphocytosis in sheep and goats with varying extent of neutrophilia in bovine and ovine, while the porcine manifested neutropaenia, but there was lymphocytosis. The haematological parameters of naturally infected animals improved after treatment in virtually all species.