Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T16:46:50.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Transmission of Theileria parva by a population of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus under simulated natural conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

A. S. Young
Affiliation:
Protozoology Division, Veterinary Research Department, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Muguga, P.O. Box 32, Kikuyu, Kenya
B. L. Leitch
Affiliation:
Protozoology Division, Veterinary Research Department, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Muguga, P.O. Box 32, Kikuyu, Kenya
T. T. Dolan
Affiliation:
Protozoology Division, Veterinary Research Department, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Muguga, P.O. Box 32, Kikuyu, Kenya
R. M. Newson
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
P. N. Ngumi
Affiliation:
Protozoology Division, Veterinary Research Department, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Muguga, P.O. Box 32, Kikuyu, Kenya
P. L. Omwoyo
Affiliation:
Protozoology Division, Veterinary Research Department, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Muguga, P.O. Box 32, Kikuyu, Kenya

Summary

A 2 hectare paddock on the Muguga Estate, Kiambu District of Kenya (altitude 2100 m) free of Theileria parva-iniected ticks was seeded by applying Rhipicephalus appendiculatus nymphs to cattle infected with Theileria parva (Kiambu 4). It was estimated that over 50000 engorged nymphs fell onto the pasture from 4 cattle with high parasitaemias during the cold season (June). Samples of these ticks were placed in plastic cylinders under the vegetation in the paddock and sexual stages of T. parva were detected in gut lumen smears in these samples up to 21 days alter repletion. Zygotes were first observed to transform into kinetes on day 55 and parasites were first detected in salivary glands of adults on day 64. Moulting of the nymphs started on day 60 after repletion and was completed by day 87. Cattle introduced into the paddock showed their first infestation with adult R. appendiculatus on day 64 after repletion of the nymphs and the infestation level gradually increased. On day 76 after repletion, 17% of a sample of adult ticks infesting cattle showed salivary gland infections with T. parva and this increased to over 70% by day 150. From day 360 onwards, a decrease in both the percentage of ticks infected and the number of salivary gland acini infected/tick was noted. In addition, T. parva infections within the salivary glands required a longer period of feeding in the older ticks before they developed into sporozoites. Cycling of Theileria through ticks was prevented by the removal of female ticks before they completed repletion. Lethal challenge levels of T. parva for cattle existed in the paddock up to day 547 after repletion, after which introduced cattle showed no infection or only a sub-lethal infection. Cattle introduced into the paddock on day 808 after repletion showed no evidence of T. parva infection. The tick infestation of introduced cattle decreased markedly from day 368 and infestation had virtually ceased by day 808

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bailey, K. P. (1960). Notes on the rearing of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and their infection with Theileria parva for experimental transmission. Bulletin of Epizootic Diseases of Africa 8, 3343.Google Scholar
Barnett, S. F. (1956). East African Veterinary Research Organization, Annual Report, 1955–6.Google Scholar
Barnett, S. F. (1968). Theileriosis. In Infectious Blood Diseases of Man and Animal (ed. Weinman, D. and Ristic, M.), pp. 269328. New York and London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Blewett, D. A.Branagan, D. (1973). The demonstration of Theileria parva infection in intact Rhipicephalus appendiculatus salivary glands. Tropical Animal Health and Production 5, 2734.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branagan, D. (1973 a). The development of the ixodid tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann under laboratory conditions. Bulletin of Entomological Research 63, 155–68.Google Scholar
Branagan, D. (1973 6). Observations on the development of survival of the ixodid tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann 1901 under quasi-natural conditions in Kenya. Tropical Animal Health and Production 5, 153–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burridge, M. J. & Kimber, C. D. (1972). The indirect fluorescent antibody test for experimental East Coast fever (Theileria parva infection of cattle). Evaluation of a cell culture schizont antigen. Research in Veterinary Science 13, 451–5.Google Scholar
Irvin, A. D., Purnell, R. E., Brown, C. G. D., Cunningham, M. P., Ledger, M. A.Payne, R. C. (1974). The application of an indirect method of infecting ticks with piroplasms for the use in the isolation of field infection. British Veterinary Journal 130, 280–7.Google Scholar
Leitch, B. L. & Young, A. S. (1981). Theileria infections in Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks collected in the field. In Advances in the Control of Theileriosis (ed. Irvin, A. D., Cunningham, M. P. and Young, A. S.), pp. 63–6. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.Google Scholar
Lewis, E. A. & Fotheringham, W. (1941). The transmission of Theileria parva by ticks. Parasitology 33, 251–77.Google Scholar
Mahoney, D. F. (1977). Babesia of domestic animals. In Parasitic Protozoa (ed. Kreier, J. P.), vol. 4. pp. 152. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Martin, H. M., Barnett, S. F. & Vidlbr, B. O. (1964). Cyclic development and longevity of Theileria parva in the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. Experimental Parasitology 15, 527–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Purnell, R. E., Brown, C. G. D., Cunningham, M. P., Burridge, M. J., Kirimi, I. M. & Ledger, M. A. (1973). East Coast fever: correlation between morphology and infectivity of Theileria parva developing in its tick vector. Parasitology 66, 539–44.Google Scholar
Purnell, R. E., Cunningham, M. P., Mtjsisi, F. L., Payne, R. C. & Punyua, D. K. (1975). The establishment of an experimental field population of Theileria parva infected ticks. Tropical Animal Health and Production 7, 133–7.Google Scholar
Radley, D. E., Brown, C. G. D., Cunningham, M. P., Kimber, C. D., Musisi, F. L., Purnell, R. E., Stagg, S. M. & Punyua, D. K. (1975). East Coast fever: challenge of immunized cattle by prolonged exposure to infected ticks. Veterinary Record 96, 525–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schein, E., Büscher, G. & Friedhoff, K. T. (1975). Lichtmikroskopische Untersuchungen über die Entwicklung von Theileria artnulata (Dschunkowsky und Luhs, 1904) in Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum (Koeh 1844). I Die Entwicklung in Darm Vollgesogener Nymphen. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 46, 123–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schein, E., Warnecke, M. & Kirmse, P. (1977). Development of Theileria parva (Theiler 1904) in the gut of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Neumann, 1961). Parasitology 75, 309–16.Google Scholar
Schein, R. & Friedhoff, K. T. (1978). Lichtmikroskopische Untersuchungen über die Entwicklung von Theileria annulata (Dschunkowsky und Luhs, 1904). II Die Entwicklung in Hämolymphe und Speicheldrusen in Hyalomma anatolicum (Koch, 1844). Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 56, 287303.Google Scholar
Theiler, A. (1904). East Coast fever. Transvaal Agricultural Journal 2, 421–38.Google Scholar
Walker, A. R., Young, A. S. & Leitch, B. L. (1981). Assessment of Theileria infections in Rhipicephalus appendiculatus collected from the field. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 65, 63–9.Google Scholar
Winston, R. W. & Bates, D. H. (1960). Saturated solutions for the control of humidity in biological research. Ecology 41, 232–6.Google Scholar
Young, A. S. (1977). Theileria mutans. The infectivity for cattle of parasites derived from pre-fed Amblyomma variegatum nymphs. Tropenmedizin und Parasitologic 28, 521–7.Google Scholar
Young, A. S., Brown, C. G. D., Burkidge, M. J., Cunningham, M. P., Payne, R. C. & Purnell, R. E. (1977). The establishment of an experimental field population of Theileria lawrencei-iniected ticks maintained by African buffalo (Syncerus coffer). Journal of Parasitology 63, 903–7.Google Scholar
Young, A. S., Brown, C. G. D., Cunningham, M. P. & Radley, D. E. (1978). Evaluation of methods of immunizing cattle against Theileria lawrencei. In Tick-borne Diseases and their Vectors (ed. Wilde, J. K. H.), pp. 293–96. University of Edinburgh, Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine.Google Scholar
Young, A. S., Grootenhuis, J. G., Leitch, B. L. & Schein, E. (1980). The development of Theileria = Cytauxzoon taurotragi (Martin and Brocklesby, 1960) from eland in the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. Parasitology 81, 129–44.Google Scholar
Young, A. S. & Leitch, B. L. (1981 a). Epidemiology of East Coast fever: some effects of temperature on the development of Theileria parva in the tick vector Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. Parasitology 83, 199211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Young, A. S. & Leitch, B. L. (1981 b). Production of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks with high infections of Theileria parva. Journal of Parasitology 67, 751–2.Google Scholar