Studies on Efficacy of Copper Glycinate in Clinical Babesiosis in Crossbred Cattle

Abstract

Bovine babesiosis, a tick borne infectious haemoprotozoan disease of cattle, has been reported to be prevalent in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia including India^1,2. The disease is of immense importance in tropical and subtropical countries including India, causing heavy mortality and morbidity in exotic and crossbred animals. A large number of babesicidal compounds have been used effectively for treatment of bovine babesiosis¹. Copper glycinate has been extensively used for the effective treatment of post-parturient haemoglobinuria (PPH) as well as for the treatment of certain copier responsive primary or secondary copper deficiency conditions^3,4. However, results of preliminary clinical observations revealed its efficacy against bovine babesiosis⁵.

The haemoglobinuria in bovine babesiosis has been ascribed to increased intravascular destruction of red cells by the parasites with the release of free haemoglobin in urine⁶. It was reported that the degree of anaemia in clinical babesiosis was out of proportion to the degree of parasitaemia which could indicate that intravascular haemolysis was not only of parasitized red cells but also of some unparasitized red cells⁵. The present investigation was carried out to confirm the preliminary observations of the efficacy of copper glycinate against clinical bovine babesiosis and to elucidate the role of lipid peroxidation in the genesis of haemolysis in bovine babesiosis by measuring the levels of malondialdehyde in the red blood cells, plasma and urine of affected and healthy cattle. Malondialdehyde, being one of the product, is a sensitive indicator of the lipid peroxidation.