Turning sickness in a riverine buffalo naturally infected with Theileria annulata and its successful therapeutic management

Bovine tropical theileriosis (BTT) has been recognized as a persistent major constraint in the genetic improvement programme of native cattle breeds under ‘Operation Flood’. The disease accounts for high mortality in dairy animals especially calves. A riverine she buffalo (Murrah), aged 3.5 years and weighing approximately 400 kg, initially suffered from ruminal hypotonicity, severe dyspnoea, frothy discharge, lacrimation, cessation of defaecation and anorexia, besides icterus, a mild form of anaemia and moderately elevated temperature etc., for the past few days. The buffalo developed neurological signs later on. Laboratory investigations revealed presence of Koch’s blue bodies in the lymphocytes and Theileria annulata meronts in the circulating erythrocytes. The buffalo promptly responded to the specific therapy and restored to normal haematological indices, and later on, erythrocytes were free from the piroplasms. The cerebral form of BTT in the instant case was differentiated and discussed with other diseases causing analogous neurological signs.