Preliminary report on the prevalence of intestinal ciliate Buxtonella sulcata in cattle of Kannur district of Kerala

Buxtonella sulcata is an intestinal ciliate which is considered as one of the causes of diarrhoea and poor production in ruminants. The current study was conducted to detect the presence of B. sulcata in faecal samples of cattle suffering from diarrhoea in Kannur district of Kerala. Atotal of 675 faecal samples collected from calves (n=101), heifers (n=222) and adults (n=352) were examined by direct smear and formal-ether sedimentation method for detecting the trophozoites and cysts of this parasites. The prevalence of the infection was found to be 2.22% and there were no significant differences in the prevalence of infection between calves, heifers and adults.