In vitro quantitation of Theileria parva sporozoites for use - TropMed ...

Chapter 1: Quantitation of Theileria parva sporozoites: Review of literature 19
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"There came large, handsome oxen from the interior to Sena on the River Cuama, sixty
miles form the coast. The oxen died suddenly, though fine and in good condition, and
were given to the soldiers for food" - Father Monclaro in 1569
(Theal, 1916) cited by Henning (1932) who wrote that this was "probably the first record
of a disease that can be identified as East Coast fever"
1.1. Introduction
This chapter reviews available literature on aspects of quantitating Theileria parva sporozoite
stabilates for immunisation and related fields of research. Immunisation by the Infection and
Treatment (I & T) method is currently the only technique for protecting susceptible cattle against
East Coast fever, a disease of economic importance in eastern central and southern Africa. The
history, epidemiology and control options of the disease are presented in brief.
Survival of T. parva in the natural hosts and in vitro is re-visited as it pertains to quality of
immunising stabilates. The survival of the parasite is currently assessed by titrating selected doses
of stabilates in groups of cattle. Available information is examined on other techniques of
quantitating this survival and their suitability for vaccine dose determination reviewed.
1.1.1. The history of East Coast fever
East Coast fever (ECF) is considered the most economically important tick-borne disease of cattle
in affected areas (McInerney et al., 1992). The disease was endemic along the coast of East Africa
"for generations" (Mettam and Carmichael, 1936 - cited by Norval et al. (1992f) and is believed to
have originated in buffalo populations (Norval et al., 1992f). Notwithstanding the opening quote
to this chapter, which refers to a "probable" outbreak of the disease, scientific records describe the
disease as having been introduced into southern Africa through Zimbabwe (then Southern
Rhodesia) in 1902 by a consignment of cattle shipped from Tanzania to Beira, Mozambique for
restocking after the rinderpest epidemic of 1896-97 (Gray and Robertson, 1902 - cited by (Dolan,
1999). High mortalities in both local and imported cattle ensued and the disease was initially
wrongly diagnosed as Rhodesian redwater (babesiosis) by Theiler (1903). From this focus, the
disease spread to other parts of central and southern Africa where the vector was already present.
A causative agent for East Coast fever was first described by Koch in 1898 (Norval et al., 1992e)
who mistook it for young forms of Babesia bigemina while investigating Texas fever in East
Africa. The organism was first named Piroplasma kochi by Stephens and Christophers (1903) and
a few years later called Piroplasma parvum by Theiler (1905), both cited by Norval et al. (1992e).