With the use of DNA testing, a Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) research team led by Dr Md Shahiduzzaman, Professor of Parasitology, has developed a method for identifying various diseases in livestock caused by blood protozoa with almost one hundred percent accuracy.
Conducted under the auspices of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), the research initiative involved testing nearly five hundred samples from various farms in Sirajganj and Rangpur to develop this method.
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Dr Shahiduzzaman informed that in Bangladesh, livestock are particularly susceptible to blood protozoa like Babesia, Theileria, and Anaplasma. These pathogens lead to weight loss, reduced blood and milk production and even death if not treated properly.
Dr. Shahiduzzaman also stated that incorrect diagnosing of these diseases at the field level often leads to incorrect treatment, as symptoms of such diseases are usually similar. In some cases, the presence of pathogens in the blood of infected animals is determined through antibody and antigen tests in the laboratory. However, even with these methods, achieving one hundred percent accurate diagnosis is not always possible.
Regarding his disease identification method, Dr. Shahiduzzaman explained that blood samples from animals are first collected, and then DNA is extracted. The extracted DNA is then tested using a PCR machine. Even though a small amount of parasite DNA is present in the sample, it can still be easily detected in this test.
Since the process is sensitive to PCR, almost one hundred percent accurate results can be obtained. The entire process takes three to four hours to complete, and multiple samples can be tested simultaneously. The cost for testing each sample ranges from five hundred to seven hundred taka. In this context, contact has been made with the livestock officers of Sreemangal and Rangpur to provide information to UNB about the current situation of livestock blood parasites and disease diagnosis at the field level.
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Dr. Karna Chandra mallik, Upazila Livestock Officer of Sreemangal Upazila, said that the urine of animals infected with Babesia turns the color of coffee. Although Babesia disease can be diagnosed by examining urine, symptoms of Theileria and Anaplasma cannot be identified by such means.