East Coast fever

East Coast fever, also known as theileriosis, is a disease of cattle which occurs in Africa and is caused by the

A more acute form of East Coast fever called corridor disease occurs when buffalo-derived T. parva is transmitted to cattle.^[3] Another form, called January disease, only occurs over the winter months in Zimbabwe due to the tick lifecycle.^{[citation needed]}

Native cattle are often resistant to the

Mortality can be up to 100%, with death occurring around 18–30 days after the initial attachment of infected ticks, because the incubation required is around 10–25 days, and the parasite spreads quickly and is rather aggressive.[7]

Clinical signs include fever and enlarged lymph nodes near the tick bites.

Smears and stains can also be done to check for the parasite.

For diagnosis, post mortem findings are characteristic and mainly include damage to the lymphoid and respiratory systems.^[citation needed]

Treatment and control

One study using the medicinal plant Peganum harmala showed it to have a lifesaving effect on cattle infected with East Coast fever.^[9]

The classical treatment with tetracyclines (1970–1990) cannot provide efficiency more than 50%.^{[citation needed]}

Since the early 1990s, buparvaquone is used in bovine theileriosis with remarkable results (90 to 98% recovery).^{[citation needed]}

Other than the buparvaquones, other chemotherapeutic options are the parvaquones, e.g. Clexon.^[10] Halofuginone lactate^[11] has also been shown to have an 80.5% efficacy against Theirelia parva parva infections. The ultimate factor that causes death is pulmonary edema. In May 2010, a vaccine to protect cattle against East Coast fever reportedly had been approved and registered by the governments of Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.^[12] This consists of cryopreserved sporozoites from crushed ticks, but it is expensive and can cause disease.^{[citation needed]}

Control of the disease relies on control of ticks of domestic animals. This is a major concern in tropical countries with large livestock populations, especially in the endemic area. Pesticides (acaricides) are applied in dipping baths or spray races, and cattle breeds with good ability to acquire immune resistance to the vector ticks are used.^{[citation needed]}

Future treatment and control research will be informed by Gardner et al 2005's genome and protein expression and Bishop et al 2005's expression-by-stage and antigen results.^[13]

History

This disease was first reported in southern Africa, south of the