COPROSCOPIC AND HAEMATOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO
DETERMINE THE PREVALENCE OF HELMINTHIASIS AND PROTOZOAN DISEASES OF RED CHITTAGONG CATTLE (RCC) BREED IN BANGLADESH
A. Z. Siddiki1,*,
M. B. Uddin1, M.B. Hasan1, M. F. Hossain3, M.
M. Rahman1,5, B. C. Das2, M. S. Sarker4and M. A. Hossain1,5
1Department
of Pathology & Parasitology and 2Department of Medicine &
Surgery, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi-4202,
Chittagong, Bangladesh; 3ADLO, Department of Livestock Services
(DLS), Chittagong, Bangladesh; 4RCC Breed Improvement and
Conservation Project, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Savar,
Dhaka, Bangladesh; 5Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Department
of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima
University, 1-21-24 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.
Abstract
While at present many crossbred cattle are
available throughout Bangladesh, there are few original varieties of cattle localized
in some areas of the country. They also have better performance compared to
other available indigenous breeds. Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) is thought to be
the only recognized breed of Bangladeshi origin. An attempt has been made in
this study to identify the prevalence of parasitic diseases in Red Chittagong
cattle kept in different areas of
Chittagong. The study showed that crossbred cattle and the RCC
animals were infected at similar level by parasitic infestations. However, in
the absence of proper management, RC cattle were generally resistant to some
parasitic infections which were common in indigenous/crossbred cattle. It was
also notable that in some areas the parasite prevalence was very low, indicating
possible geographic factors responsible for parasite survival. A number of blood
protozoan infections were also less prevalent in RC cattle than crossbred
animals as found in most areas. This study is the first of its type to
understand the prevalence of parasitic diseases in RCC breed of cattle which is
thought to be the only indigenous cattle breed available in Bangladesh.
Key words: Coproscopy, Blood
smear, Red Chittagong cattle,
Helminthiasis,
Prevalence.