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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #177: Bovine Anaplasmosis

Cattle veterinary case - Medium - August 27, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. An adult cow is presented for marked weakness and jaundice during tick season.
  2. The owner reports a sudden drop in production and darkening of the mucous membranes.
  3. On examination the cow is febrile, pale to icteric, and tachycardic.
  4. Haematology reveals severe regenerative anaemia.
  5. Blood smear evaluation identifies small inclusions associated with red blood cells.
  6. This tick-borne haemoparasitic disease causes extravascular haemolysis and icterus in cattle.

Diagnosis

Bovine Anaplasmosis

This case is most consistent with Bovine Anaplasmosis because the cow has regenerative haemolytic anaemia with jaundice during a period of vector exposure. The most important clues are the smear findings and haemolytic pattern, which make simple iron deficiency or chronic blood loss less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cattle case supports the provided diagnosis, Bovine Anaplasmosis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: An adult cow is presented for marked weakness and jaundice during tick season.
  2. Clue 2: The owner reports a sudden drop in production and darkening of the mucous membranes.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: On examination the cow is febrile, pale to icteric, and tachycardic.
  2. Clue 4: Haematology reveals severe regenerative anaemia.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Blood smear evaluation identifies small inclusions associated with red blood cells.
  2. Clue 6: This tick-borne haemoparasitic disease causes extravascular haemolysis and icterus in cattle.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cattle case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Bovine Anaplasmosis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Bovine Anaplasmosis?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.