Buffalo‐Associated Theileria parva: The Risk to Cattle of Buffalo Translocation into the Highveld of Zimbabwe

Abstract

There has been an increase in the introduction of game animals, including African buffaloes, into the Highveld of Zimbabwe to establish private game reserves on condition that they are confined in separate and secured paddocks. Owing to shortages of pastures cattle were grazed in buffalo-grazed paddocks resulting in outbreaks of buffalo-derived theileriosis. This paper reports the results of epidemiological observations carried out on two game reserves to assess the risk of buffalo translocation. The infection rate with Theileria parasites in ticks collected from buffalo-grazed pastures was high and produced fatal theileriosis in susceptible cattle. Similarly, adult R. appendiculatus ticks artificially fed as nymphs on the buffaloes produced fatal infections in susceptible cattle. Theileria parva (Boleni), the vaccine used to immunize cattle against theileriosis, and a buffalo-derived T. parva stabilate (BV-1) were inoculated in naïve buffaloes to study the Theileria carrier-state in these animals. The two buffaloes that had received the Boleni stabilate showed no clinical theileriosis reaction; however, the ticks derived from them produced a subclinical reaction in one susceptible calf. The buffalo which had received stabilate BV-1 developed fever, high schizont parasitosis for 10 days and 15% piroplasms parasitemia. R. appendiculatus ticks fed as nymphs on this buffalo produced fatal theileriosis reaction in a susceptible calf.

A questionnaire-based evaluation of the veterinary cordon fence separating wildlife and livestock along the boundary of the Kruger National Park, South Africa

“…However, cattle entering the park is not an isolated event, an observation confirmed by other questionnaires implemented among rangers inside the KNP . While occasional wildlife-cattle contacts within the KNP should not present a risk for FMD transmission (if cattle in the area are regularly vaccinated and the vaccine provides adequate protection), they represent a risk for domestic animals contracting other diseases from wildlife, such as theileriosis (Potgieter et al, 1988;Latif et al, 2002). In addition, it also represents a risk for wildlife contracting pathogens from domestic animals.…”

Prevalence of Theileriosis in Buffaloes during Rainy Season in and Around Patna, Bihar

“…In another study Kundave et al, (2014) recorded, 72.52% (out of 91 samples 66 were positive) cattle and 32% (out of 25 samples 8 were positive) buffalo were positive for Theileria annulata by adopting PCR technique. Latif et al, (2002) reported, the infection rate with Theileria parasites in ticks collected from buffalo-grazed pasture was high which produced fatal theileriosis in susceptible cattle and similarly adult Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks artificially fed on nymphs on the buffaloes produced fatal infections in susceptible cattle. He et al, (2012) investigated, the presence and prevalence of tick-borne haemoparasites in water buffalo from the Hubei Province, South China using the reverse line blot (RLB) hybridisation assay and polygenetic analysis of the parasite 18S rRNA gene.…”

Characterising African tick communities at a wild–domestic interface using repeated sampling protocols and models

“…(Table 1a) (Walker et al, 2013) and several pathogens infecting livestock and wild ruminants in Southern Africa are transmitted by such ticks. For instance the protozoan Theileria parvas is the causative agent of Theleriosis and is mainly transmitted by Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and R. zambeziensis ticks (Latif et al, 2002) while the bacterium rickettsia Cowdria ruminantium is the causative agent of Heartwater and is transmitted by Amblyomma spp. ticks (Uilenberg et al, 1993).…”