Surveillance Vol.19 No.
1 1992
Anaemia in cattle
N e w Zealand livestock are free of the impor-
tant blood parasites Anaplasma, Babesia,
Trypanasoma and pathogenic strains of
Theileria. A n examination of the records of
cases of bovine anaemia referred to the Ru-
akura Animal Health Laboratory in 1990
sirpports this claim.
Sixty-eight cases of anaemia from
about 1,767 submissions were identified
in a retrospective study of bovine haema-
tology results in 1990. Anaemia was
defined as a blood result with a haemat-
ocrit of less than 0.24 L/L (24%).
Information on age, sex and breed are
summarised in Table 1. Cases were di-
vided into eight groups based on clinical
and laboratory findings (Table 2). Blood
loss was identified on the basis of the
history and a low total serum protein.
Cases of inflammatory disease included
those with high globulins and/or an in-
flammatory leukogram. Animals with
elevated liver enzymes (aspartate ami-
notransferase, alkaline phosphatase,
gamma glutamyl transferase) were
grouped under liver disease and those
with low serum Mg (< 0.49 mmol/L)
were grouped under hypomagnesemia.
The miscellaneous group included cases
where a disease was identified which
could potentially have been a cause of the
anaemia. These included Johne's dis-
ease, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis,
ringworm and diarrhoea. The largest
group included cases where there was no
historical or laboratory finding of signif-
icance which could have suggested a
mechanism or cause for the anaemia.
In no cases were pathogenic blood
18 Surveillance 19(1)
parasites found (Babesia, Anaplasma, in New Zealand. This parasite causes
Trypanasoma or Theileria). Although a serious haemolytic disease in cattle and a
serological survey in 1983 failed to find diagnosis is made from the examination
Anaplasma in cattle in New Zealand,' it is of blood smears.4 Screening of blood
important that monitoring of potential smears at the diagnostic laboratories en-
cases is continued in the diagnostic labo- sures adequate monitoring for this para-
ratories. Anaplasma continues to be ab- site.
sent from cattle in New Zealand. Theile- In 1990 the most commonly identifia-
ria orientalis occurs in New Zealand and ble underlying mechanism or cause for
may or may not be associated with anae- anaemia in cattle included blood loss and
mia.z Although several cases of anaemia inflammatory disease. Cases with liver
and Theileria were seen at Ruakura Ani- disease and those in the miscellaneous
mal Health Laboratory in 1991, none oc- group may have been anaemic as a result
curred in 1990. Theileria orientalis is con- of underlying inflammatory or chronic
sidered non-pathogenic and inNew Zea- disease. A large percentage of the 1990
land is usually seen as an incidental find- cases (43%) had no identifiable process
ing.'The vector for Babesia is not present or disease to help establish a possible
cause for theanaemia. Importantly, how-
ever, pathogenic blood parasites were
Table 1: Age, sex and breeds of 68 anaemic
cattle in 1990 not found on examination of peripheral
blood smears from these cases.
Age (yrs) Sex Breed
References
1-8 48 female 57 Friesian 46
<I 4 male 9 Unknown 10 I MacDiarmid. S C, Durham, P J K. Jones, D L.
1983: S u r v e y c o n f i r m s f r e e d o m f r o m
unknown 16 unknown 2 Jersey 8
anaplasmosis. Suri~i//unc.e I l(31: 2-4.
Other 4
2 James. M P. Saunders, B W , Guy. L A,
Brookbanks, E 0. Charle\ton, W A G.
Table 2: Cases grouped according to causes/ Uilenberg, G. 19x4: Tlreilek orirntulis, B
mechanisms for anaemia
blood parasite of cattle. First report in New
Zealand. N m Zeu/aud \'ctc~ririur~ ,/or~/-nu/32:
Cause unknown 29 154- 156.
Inflammation 12 3 Thompson, J , 1991: Theileriasis in New Zea-
Blood loss 9 land. S i i r w t / / u r i c ~ IX(5J:
c~ 21 -23.
4
Miscellaneous 6 Furie, W S , 1982: Bovine babesiosi\. Coni,rw/,-
tlirrni o i i C o r r ~ r i i i i i i i , qE t / i i c . u t i o i i .for t I i c
Hypomagnesemia 5
Liver disease 4 Pi-ric.li( iirg I(~ti~riirtrritrir J(6J: 272-278.
Lc~tn.sp/'.u
pon/o/?u 2
Heinr. bodies I Nic,Li Foi/-/cY
Kuakura Animal Health Lnhoratory