Detection of Theileria uparva in tissues of cattle undergoing severe East Coast fever disease show significant parasite DNA accumulation in the spleen

摘要

Infiltration and proliferation of Theileria parva infected lymphocytes in bovine host lymphoid organs is one of the hallmarks of T. parva infection. The relative abundance of parasites within infected host tissues, both lymphoid and non-lymphoid is however unknown. Using quantitative PCR, we have shown that significantly higher concentrations of T. parva DNA are detected in the spleens of cattle undergoing severe disease compared to other organs. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.