Babesia (Babesiosis)
Babesiosis in Cattle: Understanding Babesia and “Redwater Disease” By Newton Adera Last Saturday, while observing the cattle on our ranch, I noticed an older cow that appeared unusually weak and did not respond normally to my usual observations. I quickly reported the matter so that the animal could be assessed. This experience reminded me how important it is for livestock farmers to observe their animals closely and report unusual signs early. In this article, I would like to discuss babesiosis, a serious tick-borne disease of cattle commonly associated with Babesia parasites. What Is Babesiosis? Babesiosis is a disease caused by microscopic protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. In cattle, an important species is Babesia bigemina. The parasite is transmitted mainly by ticks. In East Africa, the blue tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, is an important vector of B. bigemina. Babesiosis is commonly known as “redwater disease” because affected cattle m...