Live immunization against East Coast fever – current status

• Published in: Trends in parasitology Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 85 - 92
• Main Authors: Di Giulio, Giuseppe, Lynen, Godelieve, Morzaria, Subhash, Oura, Chris, Bishop, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Infectious Disease; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Oxytetracycline - therapeutic use; Protozoan Vaccines - economics; Protozoan Vaccines - immunology; Theileriasis - drug therapy; Theileriasis - economics; Theileriasis - immunology; Vectors. Intermediate hosts; Parasite; Immunization; Fever
• ISSN: 1471-4922; 1471-5007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2008.11.007

The infection-and-treatment method (ITM) for immunization of cattle against East Coast fever has historically been used only on a limited scale because of logistical and policy constraints. Recent large-scale deployment among pastoralists in Tanzania has stimulated demand. Concurrently, a suite of molecular tools, developed from the Theileria parva genome, has enabled improved quality control of the immunizing stabilate and post-immunization monitoring of the efficacy and biological impact of ITM in the field. This article outlines the current status of ITM immunization in the field, with associated developments in the molecular epidemiology of T. parva.