Babesia and Theileria are tick-borne protozoan parasites that can cause significant economic losses in the cattle industry. This study aimed to contribute to the limited epidemiological data on Theileria orientalis as well as Babesia bigemina and B. bovis in large ruminants in the Philippines. Blood samples of 412 cattle and 108 water buffalo collected from four provinces in Southern Luzon, Philippines, were initially tested for the 18S rRNA gene of piroplasms through nested PCR. Positive samples were further subjected to species-specific PCR. The 18s rRNA of piroplasms was detected in 123 (29.9%) cattle and three (2.8%) water buffaloes. Theileria orientalis was found to be the most common piroplasm in cattle with a detection rate of 17.5%, followed by Babesia bovis and B. bigemina. Co-infections were also observed. Two water buffaloes were found infected with B. bovis, while one was positive for B. bigemina. The phylogenetic tree for B. bovis showed clustering of the isolates in two clades together with isolates from other countries, and a third separate clade. Meanwhile, the T. orientalis isolates in this study were distributed in three clades together with reported isolates from other countries. This study confirms the presence of T. orientalis in the Philippines and reports the genetic diversity of B. bovis and T. orientalis.

Background and Aim: Bartonella and Borrelia are zoonotic vector-borne pathogens that can infect dogs and humans. Data on Bartonella and Borrelia in dogs in the Philippines are lacking. This study was conducted to validate previous reports and further investigate the occurrence of Bartonella and Borrelia spp. in cities of Metro Manila. Materials and Methods: A total of 182 canine blood samples were acquired with DNA using a commercial extraction kit from selected veterinary clinics in the cities of Metro Manila and Laguna, Philippines. The mammalian actin was amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by PCR assays targeting Bartonella gltA and Borrelia flaB. Further PCR assays targeting 16S of Borrelia and ospA and ospC of Borrelia burgdorferi were performed for those that showed flaB bands. Results: A positive band for gltA of Bartonella was observed in 9 (4.95%) samples, whereas a positive band for flaB of Borrelia was observed in 15 (8.24%) samples. Subsequent PCR assays for other genes of Borrelia were negative. Conclusion: These results confirmed the presence of Bartonella and warranted further investigation for the possible presence of other Borrelia species. Keywords: Bartonella, Borrelia, dogs, polymerase chain reaction, tick-borne pathogens.