title: Theileria parva genetic diversity and haemoparasite prevalence in cattle and wildlife in and around Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda.
abstract: Wildlife, especially Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), are thought to act as a reservoir for many of the important tick-borne pathogens of cattle. In this study, we have determined the prevalence of the most significant tick-borne haemoparasites in wildlife (buffalo, impala, eland and bushbuck) as well as in cattle grazing inside and neighbouring Lake Mburo National Park (LMNP) in Uganda. A high percentage of buffalo were carriers of Theileria parva, Theileria mutans, Theileria velifera, Theileria buffeli and Theileria sp. (buffalo) as well as Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma centrale. The majority of impala sampled were carriers of A. centrale, and all were carriers of an unidentified Babesia/Theileria species. The eland and bushbuck sampled were all carriers of Theileria taurotragi and Theileria buffeli, and the majority were carriers of T. mutans. The bushbuck sampled were also carriers for Erhlichia bovis. There were some differences in the prevalence of haemoparasites between the calves sampled inside and neighbouring LMNP. In order to address the question of whether there is evidence for interbreeding between buffalo-associated and cattle-associated T. parva populations, multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) of T. parva (based on micro-satellite markers) from buffalo and from calves grazing inside and outside LMNP were compared, and the results revealed that buffalo and cattle gene pools were distinct, showing no evidence for transmission of buffalo-derived T. parva genotypes to the cattle population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Vet. Medicine, University of Makerere, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda. chris.oura@bbsrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Chris A L
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Oura
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tait
authors.forename: Benon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asiimwe
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Lubega
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000469:parasitology*; D002417:Cattle / Q000469:parasitology*; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D016797:Theileria parva / Q000235:genetics*; D013801:Theileriasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D013987:Ticks; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology
references.citation: Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2004 Feb;133(2):163-73
references.pmid: 14698429
references.citation: Vet Microbiol. 2002 Oct 22;89(2-3):223-38
references.pmid: 12243899
references.citation: Parasitology. 1987 Jun;94 ( Pt 3):425-31
references.pmid: 3112701
references.citation: Parasitology. 1993 Aug;107 ( Pt 2):157-65
references.pmid: 8414670
references.citation: Genetics. 1921 Mar;6(2):111-23
references.pmid: 17245958
references.citation: Parasitology. 1994 Dec;109 ( Pt 5):573-81
references.pmid: 7831093
references.citation: Parasitology. 2004 Jul;129(Pt 1):27-42
references.pmid: 15267109
references.citation: Int J Parasitol. 2003 Dec;33(14):1641-53
references.pmid: 14636680
references.citation: J S Afr Vet Assoc. 1979 Dec;50(4):311-3
references.pmid: 122000
references.citation: Int J Parasitol. 2004 Apr;34(5):603-13
references.pmid: 15064125
references.citation: Comput Appl Biosci. 1996 Aug;12(4):357-8
references.pmid: 8902363
references.citation: Parasitology. 1999 Jun;118 ( Pt 6):541-51
references.pmid: 10406032
references.citation: J S Afr Vet Assoc. 1988 Sep;59(3):155-60
references.pmid: 3058976
references.citation: Trop Anim Health Prod. 1973 Aug;5(3):146-52
references.pmid: 4213512
references.citation: Int J Parasitol. 1973 Nov;3(6):723-8
references.pmid: 4202666
references.citation: Parasitology. 1989 Aug;99 Pt 1:139-47
references.pmid: 2508037
references.citation: J Clin Microbiol. 1999 Jun;37(6):1782-9
references.pmid: 10325324
references.citation: Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2005 Apr;140(2):229-39
references.pmid: 15760662
references.citation: Res Vet Sci. 1980 Sep;29(2):219-29U
references.pmid: 7193340
references.citation: Parasitology. 1991 Jun;102 Pt 3:347-56
references.pmid: 1907728