Comparative evaluation of oxytetracycline and an herbal formulation in the treatment of bovine anaplasmosis.

The present study evaluated and compared the therapeutic efficacy of oxytetracycline and a standardized polyherbal formulation in cattle naturally infected with Anaplasma marginale. A total of 30 cattle were screened, of which 20 animals confirmed positive by Giemsa-stained blood smear and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were randomly allocated into two treatment groups: Group I received oxytetracycline (10 mg/kg body weight, intravenously for five days), while Group II received a polyherbal medicinal powder (5 g/animal/day orally for ten days), both along with supportive therapy. Ten apparently healthy cattle were used as controls. Clinically affected cattle exhibited fever, anorexia, anemia, lethargy, tachycardia, tachypnea, and tick infestation. Haematological analysis revealed significantly reduced haemoglobin (6.20 ± 0.27 g/dL), packed cell volume (23.15 ± 1.28%), and total erythrocyte count (5.80 ± 0.44 × 10⁶/µL), along with increased total leukocyte count (8.49 ± 0.50 × 10³/µL), lymphocytes (64.9 ± 2.48%), and reduced platelet count (252.5 ± 79.85 × 10³/µL), along with leucocytosis and lymphocytosis in infected animals. Following treatment, both groups showed improvements in clinical signs and haematological parameters. However, oxytetracycline resulted in a 70% clinical recovery rate, with three fatalities and persistent PCR positivity in recovered animals. In contrast, the herbal formulation achieved complete clinical recovery with no mortality, significant improvement in platelet counts, and absence of PCR-detectable infection during the 14-day follow-up period. These findings suggest that the evaluated polyherbal formulation may offer a safe, economical, and practical therapeutic alternative for bovine anaplasmosis, particularly in resource-limited settings. Larger controlled trials with extended follow-ups are warranted to validate these preliminary observations.