Prevalence of Equine Babesiosis in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Abstract

Prevalence of babesiosis in horses stabled around Maidugurimetropolis was investigated in this study.  Giemsa stained thin blood smears revealed a prevalence of 9(9%) for the disease with Babesia equi as the specie identified.  Prevalence for the disease based on the sex and age of the horses indicated that female horses possessed a statistically significant higher prevalence 6(12.5%) compared to the males with 3(6.25%) (P<0.05).

      Also the young horses were more infected 4(7.39%) though statistically insignificant (P>0.05) compared to the adults with 5(6.49%).  Packed cell volume values determined in the study showed infected female horses with a lower mean of 19% compared to that of infected males 25.5%.  Also infected young horses had a higher PCV of 26.5% compared to the infected adults with 19.0%.  There is however, an indication of anaemia in the horses examined in the study.