author(s)
Devadevi N, Rajkumar K, Vijayalakshmi P and Sreekrishnan R

abstract
The present study was aimed to find the occurrence of tick infestation in bovine benign theileriosis in cattle of Puducherry region. Theileria orientalis was confirmed by clinical manifestation and PCR. The ticks from the Theileria orientalis infected cattle were identified based on the morphological characterization described by Sen and Fletcher. Out of 100 theileriosis cattle, 45 cattle (45%) were infected with Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides and Haemaphysalis bispinosa. In 45 percent tick infested animals, 44.44 percent animals had R. haemaphysaloides, 22.22 percent animals had H. bispinosa and 33.33 percent of cattle had both species of ticks. Therefore ticks like R. haemaphysaloides and H. bispinosa are common in Pondicherry and transmit T. Orientalis in cattle.