23 June 2026: Babesiosis in cattle
Updated 1 September 2026
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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Situation
In recent weeks, APHA have been made aware of several reports of Babesiosis affecting cattle. These cases are in areas of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) not typically associated with this disease.
Details
Babesiosis is typically diagnosed in South West England with herds seeing cases each year. However this year, practitioners in North East England have reported seeing sporadic cases. Colleagues at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have also reported cases in South West Scotland. See the APHA tick-borne disease dashboard for information on confirmed diagnoses in previous years.
Practitioners across Great Britain should be aware of the clinical signs of Babesiosis. It is highly likely that the geographical distribution of infection will continue to expand with climatic and land use changes.
APHA are continuing to offer free PCR testing of cattle for suspected cases of bovine Babesiosis and tick-borne fever. They do this on a case-by-case basis. Up to 3 cattle showing typical clinical signs can be tested under this scheme. EDTA blood is required for the test.
Practitioners should ring their local veterinary investigation centre (VIC) to discuss potential cases further. If free testing is agreed, they can then send samples to APHA Starcross.
Collection of ticks for the UKHSA Tick Surveillance Scheme is also recommended. This will help monitor changing tick dynamics and detect non-native and rare UK tick species. The findings will also help inform UKHSA’s assessments of the public health impacts of ticks.
Further information
Find more information on the APHA tick-borne disease dashboard.
Message sent from the Surveillance Intelligence Unit siu@apha.gov.uk.