IMMUNITY IN CATTLE TO BABESIA BOVIS AFTER SINGLE INFECTIONS WITH PARASITES OF VARIOUS ORIGIN

Sixty calves, 3 to 6 months old, were vaccinated once against Babesia bovis in groups of 10, by the following methods: (a) tick infestation; (b) inoculation of virulent parasites obtained from the tick-infested animals immediately after infection; (c) inoculation of the parasites used in (b) attenuated by passage through splenectomised calves; (d) inoculation of commercially-available, living, attenuated vaccine; (e) inoculation of virulent parasites obtained from the tick-infested animals in (a) one year after infection; (f) inoculation of the parasites used in (e) attenuated by passage. All vaccinated animals were maintained tick-free and were strongly immune to challenge with a heterologous strain of B. bovis approximately 4 years after vaccination. There was no difference in immunogenicity between any of the B. bovis populations.     

THE EFFECT OF AGE ON RESISTANCE OF CATTLE TO BABESIA BOVIS

SUMMARY Susceptible Hereford cattle of different ages were inoculated with 2 times 10⁸Babesia bovis organisms. Experiment 1 consisted of cows aged 6 to 7 years, steers aged 17 to 18 months and calves aged 5 to 6 months, while experiment 2 consisted of cows aged 6.5 to 7.5 years, steers aged 23 to 24 months and yearlings aged 11 to 12 months. Daily measurements of temperature, parasitsemia and packed cell volume were made in order to determine susceptibility of the different ages. Twenty-four of the 36 animals in experiment 1, which included all 12 cows, required treatment. One cow died as a result of an enlarged ruptured spleen, and 2 steers and 1 calf died with classical babesiosis symptoms. No treatment was given to experiment 11 animals, and 5 of the 12 cows died, but the steers and yearlings underwent relatively mild reactions. Statistical analysis confirmed the high susceptibility to B. bovis of the aged cows in both experiments, and the innate resistance of 5 to 6 month old calves in experiment 1. The reaction of the 18-month-old steers in experiment 1 was significantly greater than that of the calves, but significantly less severe than that of the aged cows. Two-year-old steers and yearlings in experiment 2 underwent similar mild reactions, suggesting that innate immunity may persist for longer periods when compared to aged cows. Age groups showing reduced susceptibility were found to reach peak parasitaemia, temperature and anaemia before the more susceptible age groups. Heterologous challenge of the remaining experiment 1 and experiment 2 animals at 6 and 8 months respectively after primary inoculation, revealed all animals of all ages had a solid resistance to B. bovis.     

INFECTIVITY FOR CATTLE OF ANAPLASMA MARGINALE EXTRACTED FROM BOOPHILUS MICROPLUS TICKS EXPOSED TO CERTAIN TEMPERATURES

SUMMARY: Boophilus microplus ticks collected from calves with patent Anaplasma marginale infections were incubated at either 4 to 5°C, 14°C, 22°C, 27°C or 37°C for up to 14 days. Extracts prepared either from larvae, nymphs, immature females, adult males or mixtures of both sexes were infective for 14 of the 16 splenectomised calves inoculated. Extracts either from nymphs or from adult ticks deriving from nymphs moulted in vitro were infective for 11 of 12 nonsplenectomised calves. Possible application of the findings to producing a vaccine strain of A. marginale is discussed.     

A SURVEY FOR RESISTANCE IN CATTLE TICKS TO ACARICIDES

SUMMARY: A survey was made from late 1976 to late 1977 to determine the extent of resistance to acaricides in the cattle tick Boophilus microplus in Queensland. Questionnaires and requests for samples of ticks were forwarded to more than 900 randomly selected stock owners in the tick infested area which had been divided into 4 regions, Far North, Coastal North, Coastal Central and South East. The response measured by the number of tick samples tested was 43%. The prevalence of resistance to organophosphorus (OP) compounds was highest in South East where 96% of the farms had OP-resistant ticks and 95% had the Biarra strain and lowest in Far North where 12% of the farms had OP-resistant ticks and 10% had the Biarra strain which was the predominant one in all regions. The highest percentages of the Ridgelands strain (35%) and the Tully strain (30%) occurred in Coastal North. The South East had the highest percentage of Mt Alford (30%).
Although chlorinated hydrocarbons were banned for use in control of ticks in 1962, 49% of the farms in South East had some ticks resistant to dieldrin but in Far North it was only 2%. DDT-resistant ticks, which because of cross resistance to synthetic pyrethroids will affect the future use of this group, were present on 8% of the farms in both Coastal North and Coastal Central and 3% in South East and Far North.
No resistance to the amidines, chlordimeform, chloromethiuron or amitraz was found.     

FAILURE OF A SINGLE DOSE OF BRUCELLA ABORTUS STRAIN 19 VACCINE TO PROTECT CATTLE WHEN GIVEN EARLY IN CALFHOOD

SUMMARY Groups of heifer calves were vaccinated subcutaneously with the standard dose of strain 19 at the age of 3 to 5 weeks or 5 months. Twelve months after primary vaccination a group of the younger vaccinates were revaccinated with a small dose of strain 19 via the conjunctival sac. The effectiveness of vaccination was assessed by challenge with virulent B. abortus after 5 to 6 months of pregnancy. Animals vaccinated at 3 to 5 weeks, but given no intraconjunctival boost, were not effectively protected, but the group receiving the boost were at least as resistant as those which received the subcutaneous dose at 5 months. The intraconjunctival boost caused only slight and transient serological responses in a few animals.     

THE TRANSMISSION OF BABESIA BOVIS IN HERDS OF EUROPEAN AND ZEBU X EUROPEAN CATTLE INFESTED WITH THE TICK, BOOPHILUS MICROPLUS

SUMMARY Transmission of Babesia bovis by the tick Boophilus microplus was studied in 4 breeding herds of European and Zebu x European cattle under different levels of tick infestation. The observations consisted of weekly counts of female ticks on the cattle, monthly serological tests for antibodies to B. bovis, examination of tick larvae from the pasture to determine B. bovis infection rates and comparison of the suitability of paddocks for tick reproduction. The rate of transmission (inoculation rate) was estimated in terms of the daily probability of infection and consisted of the product of the mean daily tick infestation head^-1 and the babesial infection rate in tick larvae. The theoretical value of the minimum inoculation rate required to produce stability of babesiosis is 0.01. This value was exceeded only in a herd of European cattle with minimal tick control and grazing on a pasture favourable for tick reproduction. Instability of babesiosis occurred in the other herds of European cattle after tick numbers had been reduced by pasture spelling and strategic dipping and after reduction in the babesial infection rate in ticks apparently caused by unfavourable environmental conditions. Over a period of years, the tick infection rates also declined as a consequence of the reduction in numbers of ticks. The Zebu x European cattle failed to generate inoculation rates greater than the minimum level, even though no tick control measures were applied. This was attributed to lower babesial infection rates in the ticks than those observed in a comparable herd of European cattle and to the high tick resistance of the Zebu crosses which maintained the tick populations at low levels. Both factors combined to produce a low inoculation rate.