An outbreak of acute Trypanosoma evansi infection in crossbred cattle in Punjab, India

Abstract

An outbreak of acute trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma evansi in Punjab, a northern state of India was investigated in a cattle farm comprising 78 adults (lactating and dry) and 27 calves. The outbreak in the affected animals exhibiting high fever (105°F), circling, tremors, convulsions and death within 24–48 hours was confirmed based on examination of Wright-Giemsa stained blood smears, morpho-metric measurements and by polymerase chain reaction by using T. evansi specific primers yielding species specific 227 bp PCR product. Pretreatment parasitaemia estimated in three clinical cases revealed 12.5×10⁴, 11.2×10⁴ and 16.7×10⁴ tryps/µl of blood and cow that was treated with isometamedium chloride revealed parasitemia of 1.4×10⁴ tryps/µl of blood 24 hours after treatment while no parasitemia was found after 24 hrs of treatment in other two cows, treated with quinapyramine sulphate and chloride combination (Triquin). Post-mortem revealed moderate enlargement of spleen. Biochemical parameters revealed increase in cholesterol, bilirubin and total proteins.

Keywords:

• cattle
• outbreak
• Surra
• treatment
• Trypanosoma evansi
• isometamedium chloride

Acknowledgement

Thanks are due to Dean, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University for necessary facilities to carry out the work.