Some preliminary observations on the susceptibility and resistance of different cattle breeds to <i>Theileria parva</i> infection

Abstract

Theileria parva-naïve Friesian (Bos taurus), Boran (Bos indicus) and Maasai Zebu steers (B. indicus) were infected with a T. parva sporozoite stabilate dose which had previously been shown to induce an estimated 50 % mortality rate in Boran cattle. All the cattle developed patent infections with no significant differences in the length of the prepatent period to development of macroschizonts (P &gt; 0.05) between the three groups. Clinical theileriosis occurred in all eight the Friesians (100 %), five out of nine Borans (55.6 %) and two out of five Zebus (40 %). Three of the Friesians (37.5 %), and two of the Borans (22.2 %) died of theileriosis. The different cattle types were equally susceptible to the infective dose used as indicated by the length of the prepatent periods, but there was a marked difference in their development of clinical theileriosis. The gradation in resistance to disease confirms the findings of earlier less critical studies and identifies these cattle breeds as suitable for investigations into the mechanisms of resistance to theileriosis.

Molecular Epidemiology of Theileria annulata in Cattle from Two Districts in Punjab (Pakistan)

“…in crossbred cattle than in Sahiwal. On the other hand, Ndungu et al [ 45 ] reported that different cattle breeds enrolled in their study were equally susceptible to Theileria infection, but there was a marked difference in their development of clinical theileriosis. differences in the parasite prevalence among cattle breeds from various studies is probably due to the different total number of samples, and due to different breed enrolment of cattle these studies.…”

Distribution and Application of ELISA for the Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Diseases in Central Equatoria State, Sudan

“…As there was only one breed of cattle sampled during this study, no relationship between TBDs seroprevalence and breed could be assessed. However, recent work by Ndungu et al. (2005) on the susceptibility of different cattle breeds to T. parva infection indicated that zebu cattle were highly successful in developing a higher degree of resistance than either Boran or Friesian cattle.…”

Determination of potential risk factors associated with Theileria annulata and Theileria parva infections of cattle in the Sudan

“…However, for many years, indigenous (Bos indicus) cattle have been known to be less susceptible to T. parva infections than exotic (Bos taurus) cattle (Ndungu et al 2005). …”