Prevalence with risk factors associated with Theileria annulata in cattle of Babylon province, Iraq

Theileriosis is one of the most important tick-borne haemoprotozoan diseases affecting cattle and causing significant economic losses worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Theileria annulata infection in cattle in Babylon province, Iraq, and to evaluate the effects of sex, age, and geographical distribution on the infection rate using microscopic examination. A total of 120 blood samples were randomly collected from cattle (43 males and 77 females) from different regions of southern Babylon province, including Al-Qasim, Al-Hamaza Al-Gharbi, Al-Talia, and Al-Shomali, during the period from September 2025 to January 2026. Thin and thick blood smears were prepared, stained with Giemsa stain, and examined microscopically for the detection of Theileria annulata. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 27 and Microsoft Excel, and the chi-square test was applied to assess the significance of differences among variables. The overall prevalence of Theileria annulata infection was 27.5% (33/120). A significantly higher infection rate was observed in females (37.6%) compared to males (9.3%) (P < 0.05). Age-related analysis revealed that cattle less than one year old had the highest infection rate (53.1%), followed by animals aged 1–3 years (19.1%), while the lowest rate was recorded in cattle older than three years (17%) (P < 0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant variation in infection rates was detected among the studied regions (P < 0.01), with the highest prevalence reported in Al-Shomali (61.5%).