Vol. 10, Issue 1, Part C (2026)

Ticks and tick-borne haemoprotozoan infections remain a substantial constraint to cattle health and productivity, especially in tropical ecosystems, where the climate is conducive to the multiplication of vectors. The current study was initiated to evaluate the prevalence and spatial distribution of cattle theileriosis in selected districts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, India, during a two-year period (July 2023 to June 2025). A total of 927 cattle, suspected to be positive for Theileria infection, were tested using microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears. The Overall prevalence of Theileria infection was recorded as 37.43%, out of which 30.85% were single infection and 6.58% were mixed haemoprotozoan infections. The spatial distribution indicated substantial variation, with the highest prevalence being recorded in Moradabad (51.57%), Haridwar (40.62%), and Udham Singh Nagar (38.70%). The sex-related analysis indicated almost similar incidences in males (38.33%) and females (37.37%). Age-related differences indicated higher incidences in animals above 3 years (38.91%) compared with those below 3 years (30.76%), which might be due to their prolonged exposure to ticks. The breed-related evaluation indicated higher incidences of infection in the case of Sahiwal, Jersey, and Crossbred cattle compared with Badri or local cattle, thus implying their superior adaptability or resistance to tick infection. The highest prevalence was recorded during the monsoon (46.27%) followed by winter (35.11%) and summer (33.41%) seasons, thus implying the influence of moisture content along with temperature of the local ecosystems.