Analytical Characterisation of Blood Coagulation Profile in Cattle with East Coast Fever in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria

East coast fever caused by Theileria parva is an important tick-transmitted protozoan disease that causes lymphoproliferation and systemic pathology in cattle, but its effects on blood coagulation in Nigerian cattle have not been analytically characterised. This study evaluated the coagulation profile in naturally infected cattle in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, in an effort to fill this important research gap. Fifty cattle with PCR-confirmed Theileria parva infection and forty healthy controls were enrolled from farms in the Jos and Shendam areas. Activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, fibrinogen, platelet count, D-dimers, and antithrombin III were measured in citrated plasma and serum. Infected cattle showed significantly prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time, reduced platelet counts, and elevated D-dimers, consistent with a disseminated intravascular coagulation-like coagulopathy in severe cases. Antithrombin III was significantly reduced in twenty-eight of fifty infected animals, indicating consumption of anticoagulant factors. Fibrinogen was elevated in the first week of infection but fell sharply in cattle progressing to severe disease, consistent with consumptive coagulopathy. The degree of coagulopathy correlated with disease severity scores and was associated with higher case fatality. These findings provide novel empirical evidence of coagulation cascade disruption in East coast fever and suggest that coagulation profiling should be incorporated into the clinical management framework for this disease in Plateau State. Keywords: East coast fever, Theileria parva, blood coagulation, disseminated intravascular coagulation, Plateau State.