East Coast Fever Immunisation Trials in  Uganda: Field Exposure of Zebu Cattle  Immunized with Three Isolates of Theileria  Parva

Robson, J.; Odeke, G G. M.; Kamya, E. P.; Brown, C. G. D.

East Coast Fever Immunisation Trials in Uganda: Field Exposure of Zebu Cattle Immunized with Three Isolates of Theileria Parva

Date

1977

Authors

Publisher

Tropical Animal Health and Production

Abstract

Zebu cattle were immunised against East Coast fever (ECF) using three isolates ofTheileria parva inoculated as cryopreserved stabilates of infective particles harvested fromRhipicephalus appendiculatus. These isolates included the East African laboratory type strain,T. parva (Muguga), and two isolates ofT. parva from Entebbe, Uganda. Pairs of cattle received an inoculation of stabilate and were allowed to react and recover fortuitously, while groups of five cattle received both stabilate and were protected by chemoprophylactic therapy with oxytetracycline. An IFA serological response was elicited in 17 of the 21 stabilate recipients. These 21 cattle, along with eight susceptible controls, were exposed to a massive and continuing natural challenge ofT. parva andT. mutans, accompanied by very heavy tick infestation in an ECF enzootic area at Kigungu, Entebbe. All eight controls died of ECF in a mean time of 25·6 days. The stabilate recipients were significantly protected, their mean time to death being 71·3 days. Only six of these 21 cattle died of theileriosis within 40 days of exposure and these included three which did not exhibit a serological response following inoculation of stabilate. The implications ofT. mutans pathogenesis, unlimited heavy tick challenge and the potential value of complexes ofT. parva strains are discussed.

Keywords

ofT, East coast fever immunisation, zebu cattle, ofTheileria parva

Citation

Robson, J., Pedersen, V., Odeke, G. M., Kamya, E. P., & Brown, C. G. D. (1977). East Coast Fever immunisation trials in Uganda: field exposure of zebu cattle immunized with three isolates of Theileria parva. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 9(4), 219-231.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02240343