Prevalence of Haematopinus quadripertusus and Haematopinus tuberculatus in Cattle and Buffalo of West Bengal, India

Haematopinus is one of the most belligerent lice that are commonly found in wild and domesticated poly-gastric and mono-gastric animals. The prevalence of Haematopinus in a specific geographical area is also a matter of great concern, as it may act as vectors for transmitting fatal pathogens of different death-dealing diseases like anaplasmosis, brucellosis, bartonellosis, and theileriosis. A survey was conducted to identify the presence of specific ectoparasites in cattle and buffaloes from different villages of Jalpaiguri, Birbhum, and Nadia districts of West Bengal, India. Cases of severe itching, irritation, and restlessness were observed in sixteen cattle and two buffaloes during the survey. On closer examination, the cattle and buffaloes were found to be infested with lice. The lice from cattle and buffaloes were collected in 70% ethanol and the samples were examined for morpho-taxonomic keys using a stereo-microscopic observation procedure. Based on the findings the lice were identified as Haematopinus quadripertusus in cattle and Haematopinus tuberculatus in buffaloes.