Fighting theileriasis
Recent work by the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Disease (ILRAD) has resulted in a efficient method to reduce theileriasis, more commonly known as East Coast fever. It consists of infecting animal with live parasites and treating them simultaneously with a long-lasting antibiotic. Experiments have shown that this results in an immunity of over 12 months from parasite infestations in the field. East Coast fever is endemic among cattle in eleven countries in East and Southern Africa. It is transmitted by ticks which carry the disease from wild buffaloes, the host animal. Until now, the only way to control theileriasis was to bath or spray animals with acaricides to kill the ticks. But when the ticks are too numerous this must be repeated twice a week, a process that is both expensive and time-consuming. In Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, this infection - plus - treatment technique is already being used. Research continues in order to improve and adapt it to specific parasites found in each country. For more details, contact: ILRAD P.O. Box 30709 Nairobi Kenya
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
1987
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/44750 http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta12e/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|