title: Molecular characterization of Theileria orientalis from cattle in Ethiopia.
abstract: This study reports the first molecular characterization of Theileria orientalis in local breeds of cattle in Ethiopia. A conventional PCR utilizing major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene and an established multiplexed tandem PCR (MT-PCR) were used to characterize T. orientalis and to assess the infection intensity, respectively. Of 232 blood samples tested, T. orientalis DNA was detected in only 2.2% of samples using conventional PCR; two genotypes buffeli (1.3%; 3/232) and type 5 (0.9%; 2/232) of T. orientalis were detected. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the buffeli MPSP sequences from Ethiopia were closely related to those reported from Kenya, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and type 5 sequences from Ethiopia grouped with those from Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. A higher number of samples (3.9%; 9/232) were test-positive by MT-PCR and four genotypes (buffeli, chitose, ikeda and type 5) of T. orientalis were detected. The average intensity of infections with genotypes buffeli (DNA copy numbers 11,056) and type 5 (7508) were significantly higher (P<0.0001) than the pathogenic genotype ikeda (61 DNA copies). This first insight into T. orientalis from cattle in Ethiopia using MPSP gene provides a basis for future studies of T. orientalis in various agroclimatic zones and of the impact of oriental theilerosis on cattle in this and other countries of Africa.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
authors.forename: Hagos
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gebrekidan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
authors.forename: Robin B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gasser
authors.affiliation: The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
authors.affiliation: The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yasur-Landau
authors.affiliation: The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaarit
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nachum-Biala
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Asrat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hailu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia. Electronic address: jabbara@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jabbar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology; D002417:Cattle; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D059208:Parasite Load; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D016794:Theileria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013801:Theileriasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan
keywords: Cattle; Ethiopia; MT-PCR; PCR; Theileria orientalis