Coproscopic and haematological approaches to determine the prevalence of helminthiasis and protozoan diseases of Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) breed in Bangladesh

While at present many crossbred cattle are available throughout Bangladesh, there are few original varieties of cattle localized in some areas of the country. They also have better performance compared to other available indigenous breeds. Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) is thought to be the only recognized breed of Bangladeshi origin. An attempt has been made in this study to identify the prevalence of parasitic diseases in Red Chittagong cattle kept in different areas of Chittagong. The study showed that crossbred cattle and the RCC animals were infected at similar level by parasitic infestations. However, in the absence of proper management, RC cattle were generally resistant to some parasitic infections which were common in indigenous/crossbred cattle. It was also notable that in some areas the parasite prevalence was very low, indicating possible geographic factors responsible for parasite survival. A number of blood protozoan infections were also less prevalent in RC cattle than crossbred animals as found in most areas. This study is the first of its type to understand the prevalence of parasitic diseases in RCC breed of cattle which is thought to be the only indigenous cattle breed available in Bangladesh.