Occurrence of Theileriosis in Cows and Calves in Mazar-e-Sharif

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the occurrence of theileriosis in 
cows and calves in Mazar-e-Sharif. This study was conducted using a 
systematic random sampling method on 115 cows and calves from 18 
farms to assess the occurrence of theileriosis, which conducted for six 
months from March to September 2025. All farms are located in 
Mazar-e-Sharif and around the city. Animal information such as breed, 
sex, age, and clinical signs of the animals were recorded. Five milliliter 
of blood was collected from each animal in tubes containing 
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) for the diagnosis of theileriosis 
by Giemsa staining. Slides and coverslips, Giemsa stain, methanol for 
fixing the samples, buffer solution and light microscope were used to 
diagnose the theileriosis. Out of 115 cows, 40 of them were infected 
with theileriosis, which shows the overall occurrence of this disease as 
34.8%. The infected cows were 26 (65%) local breed, crossbred 11 
(27.5%) and Holstein 3 (7.5%). The majority of infected animals were 
females 29 (72.5%). The infected animals with theileriosis were 1 to 4 
years old, with the highest prevalence on 4 years old animals (45%).