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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Bovine theileriosis in Australia: a decade of disease

Cheryl Jenkins
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute
NSW Department of Primary Industries
Menangle, NSW 2568, Australia
Tel: +61 2 4640 6396
Email: cheryl.jenkins@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Microbiology Australia 39(4) 215-219 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA18067
Published: 24 October 2018

Abstract

Theileriosis refers to the clinical disease caused by organisms from the genus Theileria, tick-borne haemoprotozoans infecting a diverse range of mammalian hosts. In Australia, Theileria spp. have been identified in both domestic and wildlife species but the bovine parasite, Theileria orientalis, has received the most attention due to the emergence and spread of clinical disease over the past 12 years, particularly in cattle herds on the east coast. At an estimated $20million per annum, the burden to cattle production is significant but despite over a decade of disease, there are still no effective chemotherapeutic treatments or vaccines available in Australia. Recent insights from genome sequencing studies reveal species level diversity within T. orientalis, which may help direct efforts at disease control.


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