Correlation Between Hemoparasitic Infection and Milk Composition of Dairy Cattle in West Java

Abstract

Tick-borne blood parasites, including Theileria spp. and Babesia spp., pose a persistent threat to dairy cattle productivity in West Java, Indonesia, yet their potential effect on milk composition remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the relationship between hemoparasitic infection and milk quality parameters in dairy cattle from Kunak, Bogor Regency and Kuningan, Kuningan Regency. A total of 67 blood samples were examined using Giemsa-stained blood smears, while 268 quarter milk samples were analyzed using the BKMA-MK Milk Analyzer. Theileria infection rate was higher in Kunak (68.75%) than in Kuningan (42.85%), while Babesia was detected exclusively in Kuningan (11.42%). Parasitemia levels remained subclinical infection at 0.34% and 0.52%, with only weak, non-significant correlation observed across all milk quality parameters (r = 0.00–0.20; p > 0.05). These findings suggest that subclinical infection of hemoparasites does not significantly alter milk composition, and that farm management practices may be a more consequential determinant of milk quality.