Blood parasites of sheep in the Netherlands. II. Babesia motasi (Sporozoa, Babesiidae)

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1 Veterinry Qurterly ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journl homepge: Blood prsites sheep in the Netherlnds. II. Bbesi motsi (Sporozo, Bbesiide) G. Uilenberg, M.C. Rombch, N.M. Perié & D. Zwrt To cite this rticle: G. Uilenberg, M.C. Rombch, N.M. Perié & D. Zwrt (1980) Blood prsites sheep in the Netherlnds. II. Bbesi motsi (Sporozo, Bbesiide), Veterinry Qurterly, 2:1, 3-14, DOI: / To link to this rticle: Copyright Tylor nd Frncis Group, LLC Published online: 01 Nov Submit your rticle to this journl Article views: 400 View relted rticles Citing rticles: 24 View citing rticles Full Terms & Conditions ccess nd use cn be found t

2 1 lnstituut ETIVIhT prom J" Blood prsites sheep in the Netherlnds. II. Bbesi motsi (Sporozo, Bbesiide) G. Uilenbergl, M. C. Rombch2, N. M. Peri& nd D. Zwrtl SUMMARY A lrge Bbesi species occurs in sheep on the North Se islnds the Netherlnds. The tick Hemphyslis punctt is vector. Its pthogenicity ppers to be low. It is morphologiclly similr to Turkish strin, considered to be B. motsi, which is lso trnsmitted by Hemphyslis ticks. It differs from the Turkish prsite serologiclly s well s in cross-immunity tests nd in not being effective to gots. There my be group morphologiclly similr prsites serologicl differences nd different infectivity for sheep nd gots. As it is impossible to know which one is to be considered s the originl B. motsi, we designte the Dutch prsite s B. motsi (Netherlnds). Anplsm meseterum ws found to occur on the islnd Texel s well s on Amelnd, where it hd been found initilly. INTRODUCTION Two species Bbesi in sheep hve been reported in north-western Europe, lrge one in western Germny which Enigk (7) considered to be Bbesi motsi Wenyon, 1926, nd smller prsite in Scotlnd (28), which ws thought by Irvin nd Young (14) to be Bbesi ovisstrcovici, 1893, while other British workers considered the possibility tht it might originte from deer (R. E. Purnell, pers. comm., 1978). A lrge Bbesi species ws recently found in sheep on the Dutch North Se islnd Amelnd (30). In this pper we report on our studies this prsite, which hs since lso been shown to occur on Texel, nother North Se islnd. MATERIAL AND METHODS Experimentl nimls Sheep, gots, nd clves were used. Their origin ws s described previously (30). Monitoring ws lso crried out in the sme wy, but in ddition ser were exmined by the indirect fluorescent ntibody (1FA) test. Origin Bbesi spp. Bbesi sp. (Netherlnds) ws first observed in October 1977 in splenectomized sheep (no. 7722), which hd been injected intrvenously pooled blood from 23 sheep on Amelnd (30). In April 1978, blood ws collected from 19 sheep on Texel nd inoculted subcutneously into splenectomized sheep (no. 7808). Engorged femles the tick Ilemphyslis punelt C nestrin i nd Frrgo, 1877, collected t the sme time on some the Texel sheep, were bred in voor Tropische en Protozoire Ziekten, fculteit der Diergeneeskunde, Biltstrt 172, 3572 BP Utrecht, the Netherlnds. 2 Subfculteit vn Biologie, Fculteit vn Wiskunde en Ntuurwetenschppen, Heidelbergln 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, the Netherlnds. THE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL. 2, No, I, JAN

3 the lbortory nd their descendnts were fed on 2 splenectomized sheep (nos nd 7830). This tick species, s well s Ixodes ricinus (Linneus, 1758) were found to be bundnt on Texel in April 1978 nd My Unfed nymphs nd dults H. punctt were lso collected by drgging from the vegettion on Texel in My 1979, nd fed on splenectomized sheep (no ). B. molsi (Germny) ws received mny yers go in blood smers sent by K. Enigk, Hnnover, nd ws the prsite described by him in 1953 nd B. motsi (Turkey) ws received s blood stbilte from E. Schein in Berlin; it hd been isolted from Ilemphiwlls spp. collected in Turkey (E. Schein, pers. comm., 1978). B. oris (Turkey) ws furnished in infected blood by the Centrl Veterinry Institute in Rotterdm; it hd come from K. T. Friedhf Hnnover, who hs described the strin in severl publictions (12 nd subsequent ppers). The sme strin ws lso supplied in infected Rhipicephlus burs Cnestrini nd Fnzgo, 1877, by K. T. Friedhf. Bbesi sp. (Irn) ws received in blood smers sent by R. Hshemi-Fshrki, Tehrn, who discovered the prsite in sheep in Irn (unpublished). Bbesi sp. (Scotlnd) ws sent in blood smers by Dr. R. E. Purnell in Compton; this ws the prsite reported by Reid et l. (28). Ticks Oviposition, htching, nd moulting the Texel strin //. punett took plce t 27 C nd reltive humidity 90%; quiescent stges were kept t 20 C nd 90% R.N. The ticks were fed on rbbits nd sheep. A Turkish strin Rhipicephlus burs. supplied by E. Schein Berlin, ws bred in similr wy. Comprison other Bbesi prsites sheep The morphology the Bhesi strin from Amelnd ws compred Tht strins from Texel Fig. 2. Schemtic representtion points used for mesuring the length mture per forms. nd those B. nunsi (Germny). B. motsi (Turkey). Bhesi sp. (Scotlnd) nd Bhesi sp. (Irn). The morphology the Dutch strins ws very similr to tht B. molsi (Turkey), so tht more detiled comprison the ltter ws crried out by mesuring the length mture double per forms clibrted Olympus cross thred micrometer. Mesurements were mde between the two points indicted in Figure 2. (Although B. motsi (Germny) ws lso very similr, the vilble blood smers were too old nd fded to llow precise mesurements.) A serologicl comprison ws performed B. motsi (Turkey) by mens ntigen the Amelnd strin nd B. motsi (Turkey), nd by mens ser sheep infected Texel strins, the Amelnd strin, nd B. molsi (Turkey). Crossimmunity tests in sheep were crried out the Dutch strins nd B. molsi (Turkey). Fig. I. Trnsmission Dutch Bbesi by H. punctt. Replete q2 f sheep Texel Lrve on rbbit Nymphs on rbbit 1 Nymphs on sheep 7823 ( Nov 1978 )* Adults on ( Bbesi sheep 7823 (Sept.1978 trnsmitted I Adults on sheep 7830 Bbesi trnsmitted) *Sheep 7823 ws t tht time ltent crrier the Texel Bbesio 4 TUE VETERINARY QUARTERLY. VOL 2. No. I, JAN. 1980

4 Serologicl test The I FA test ws used; the test ws performed s described by Brocklesby et l , minor modifictions. Cryopreservtion Bbesi sp. (Amelnd), B. motsi (Turkey), nd B. vis (Turkey) were successfully preserved s blood stbiltes in liquid nitrogen by the procedure described for Anplsm spp. (30) either 9-10% glycerol or 9-10% dimethylsulphoxide s cryoprotectnt. Serologicl survey Serum ws prepred in September 1978 from 109 sheep on 17 frms on the islnd Texel. In October 1978 serum ws tken from 170 sheep on frm in Uffelte, in the south-west the northern province Drenthe; the tick!. ricinus ws known to occur in this re; there were no records H. punclt. The sheep the Uffelte frm were grzed on moorlnd. 150 ml pooled blood these sheep were injected lso into splenectomized sheep (100 ml intrvenously, 50 ml subcutneously). EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS Attempts t isoltion Dutch Bbesi All 5 ttempts t isolting the prsite from sheep nd ticks on Amelnd nd Texel were successful (see Tble 2 nd Figure 1). Morphology The Dutch Bbesi strins re reltively lrge prsites nd cnnot be distinguished on the bsis morphology from B. motsi (Turkey) (Tble I. Figures 3, 4). B. motsi (Germny) is lso similr morphologiclly. B. ovis (Turkey) nd Bbesi sp. (Scotlnd) differ from these lrge prsites by their much smller size nd lso by their position in the red cell, frequently peripherl. B. ovis (Turkey) nd Bbesi sp. (Scotlnd) were very similr to ech other nd lso to Bbesi cpreoli Enigk nd Friedhf, s described nd figured by these uthors in 1962 (9). Bbesi sp. (Irn), lrge species, differed from ll other strins exmined, prticulrly in tht it commonly multiplied by qudruple division, wheres division in the others is normlly binry. Serology As the Dutch nd Turkish lrge Bbesie could not be distinguished on the bsis morphology, they were compred in the IFA test. The results re given in Figure 5. It is seen tht sheep infected one the Dutch strins hve significnt IFA titres to B. motsi (Turkey) ntigen, lthough these titres re lower by 1 to 3 dilutions thn those to the homologous ntigen. On the other hnd, nimls infected B. motsi (Turkey) (sheep 7819, got 7811), show very low or no IFA titres to Bbesi (Amelnd) ntigen (s low s flse positive titres in some nimls before infection). Animls infected Bbesi (the Netherlnds) show, fter inocultion B. motsi (Turkey), significnt increse in IFA titre to the ltter (sheep 7808 nd 7823), while the inverse is lso true (sheep 7819). Behviour in sheep Tble 2 summrizes the behviour Dutch nd Turkish prsites in clen splenectomized sheep. Only 3 the 8 nimls infected Dutch strin hd to be treted, s hd the one niml inoculted B. motsi (Turkey). Both diminzene (Berenil ) nd micrblide (Pirodie) proved to be effective. The one intct niml (7719) infected intrvenously fresh blood high prsitemi the Amelnd prsite did not rect prsitologiclly or cliniclly (extremely few prsites were seen only on the dy fter the inocultion), but the IFA test showed tht it did become infected (Fig. 5). The irregulr results in sheep my be due in few cses to the influence intercurrent Cytoecetes phgocytophil Foggie, 1951) infection, which ws isolted from Amelnd t the sme time s the Bbesi. Behviour in other nimls Gots, splenectomized or intct, could not be infected the strin from Amelnd. No prsites were seen in their blood nd the I FA titres remined negtive or were insignificnt (gots 7710, 7732 nd 7805, Fig. 5). THE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL 2, No. 1, JAN

5 Tble I. Two comprtive mesurements the length mture double per forms. (Averge stndrd devition). Strin Sheep, dy post infect. Bbesi sp. (Amelnd) 7725, 10 Bbesi sp. (Texel) 7808, 9 Bbesi sp. (Amelnd) 7725, 10 B.motsi (Turkey) 7819, 10 Result 2,30 + 0,06 lut 2,35 + 0,06 pm 2,26 + 0,18 pm 2,31 + 0,15 pm ror Fig. 3. Bbesi sp. (Amelnd) in blood smer. * - Fig 4. B. morsi(turkey) in blood smer. TIIE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL. 2, No 1, JAN. 1980

6 --J Tble 2. Behviour Dutch nd Turkish lrge Bbesi in clen sheep. Animl no. Strin Inoculum(1) P.P. Mx.pr. (dys p.i.) Tretment(2) Remrks 7719 Amelnd 10 ml,+++,iv. 1 (+) (1) 7722(splen.) Amelnd 150 ml,ltent,iv (18) 7725(splen.) Amelnd 10 ml,ltent,iv (9) Diminzene,5,5 mg/kg(dy 9) 7816(splen.) Amelnd 1,5 ml,+++, sc (46) 7829(splen.) Amelnd 1,5 ml,+++, sc (8) Amicrblide, 5 mg/kg(dy 8) 7808(splen.) Texel 70 ml,ltent,sc. 6 + (9) 7823(splen.) Texel H.punctt ticks 7 (+) (10) (splen.) Texel H.punctt ticks 23 (+) _(3) 7911 (splen.) Texel H.punctt ticks 8 + (10) Amicrblide, 4 mg/kg(dy 10) 7819(splen.) Turkey 1,6 ml,+++, sc (10) Amicrblide, 6 mg/kg(dy 10) - Concomitnt Ehrlichi phgocytophil infection Concomitnt E.phgocytophil infection Legend; Inoculum = mount blood, prsitemi, route dministrtion P.P preptent period in dys Mx.pr.(dys p.i.2 = mximum prsitemi (number dys fter infection when mximum ws reched). (+) = scnty prsites. + = prsites redily found ++ = numerous prsites +++ = very numerous prsites isplen.2 = splenectomised niml. (1) Sheep 7816, 7829 nd 7819 were inoculted stbilte, fresh blood ws used in the other cses, except for 7823, 7830 nd 7911, which were infected by ticks. (2) Tretment ws crried out only in nimls where prsitemi nd hyperthermi ppered to mke it necessry; lthough the prsitemi 7819 nd 7911 were not yet very high on dy 10, their tempertures rose to 41,8 C nd 41,2 C respectively. (3) Prsites remined scnty for severl weeks from the dy they were first seen (dy 23 fter the ppliction ticks), nd there ws no pek prsitemi.

7 cc i,., 1 serum dilutions 08gglgiFigi A:Wnd 0 o nil_ ) --.1 c) 5 f 1 i Amelnd 0 C") t-/ t..) Cl S t 320 CI ii CD E o Fig. 5. Results IFA tests, using both Amelnd nd Turkey ntigens * o 3 : Sheep 7722 Sheep r X 2 g weeks fter infection Sheep 7719 Sheep Sheep t, Sheep 7830 Sheep T. : : To Sheep 7808 Sheep r.4 '1, U woks fter infection I,

8 0 ) ) d- 0 0 ; ; N..rf ) O cd.,-1..-i Cd d i H H H 4-, 4., -P CO 02 CO H H H ) ) ) X X ) 0 ID E4 E4 E4 E-I 0 CO Got 7710 received 10 ml fresh blood intrvenously from sheep very high prsitemi. got 7732 ws inoculted subcutneously 1.5 ml proven infective stbilte, nd lter gin intrvenously 10 ml fresh blood firly numerous prsites, while got 7805 received subcutneously 1.5 ml proven infective stbilte. One splectomized got (no. 7811) ws inoculted subcutneously 10 ml blood from sheep low prsite P:1 mi B. Inotsi (Turkey). Although no prsites could be detected in dily blood smers, ltent infection hd in fct been chieved, s shown by the serologicl results (Fig. 5). A splenectomized clf, free Bbesi infections, received intrvenously 10 ml fresh sheep blood very high prsitemi Bbesi (A melnd). No prsites were seen in the blood the clf during n observtion period over 3 weeks. THE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL 2, No. 1, JAN my- 0 Cd 03 ON tr. r-i i41 CO CO OD \ 0 0 Cd cf 0 I--1 >.) -s4 CNI ) 4-, bt)0,--4 I-4 Cd.0 0

9 Cross-immunity tests Tble 3 summrizes the results crossimmunity tests between Dutch strins nd Turkish B. motsi, s well s those chllenge crrier the Texel strin fresh blood contining the Amelnd prsite. It is importnt to scertin tht n niml hs cquired immunity to homologous chllenge before it is chllenged nother strin, especilly in cses where tretment pplied during the initil high prsitemi my hve eliminted the prsite. An exmple this is furnished by sheep 7829 (Tble 2, Fig. 5): The niml ws chllenged 25 dys fter micrblide tretment stbilte the sme btch which it hd first been infected. It rected s severely s the first time nd ws treted gin micrblide t 5 mg/ kg 10 dys fter rechllenge, when both prsitemi nd temperture hd been very high for 2 dys. Homologous chllenge the sme stbilte, 21 dys fter the second tretment, resulted gin in severe rection, but the temperture pek exceeded 41 C for only one dy nd the niml recovered out tretment, even though the rection ws followed by severe nemi. Only then did it remin crrier. In conclusion it cn be stted tht the Texel prsite does not give complete immunity to B. motsi (Turkey), tht the ltter does not give complete protection to the Amelnd strin, nd tht the Texel prsite protected solidly ginst the Amelnd strin. There my hve been prtil cross-immunity between Dutch strins nd B. motsi (Turkey), but the rections in clen sheep were too irregulr to drw definite conclusions. Three the splenectomized sheep, two them crriers Dutch strin, nd one both Dutch nd the Turkish strins, were lter chllenged B. ovis. All rected severely, nd 2 required tretment (including the crrier both prsites). Three gots, one injected B. motsi (Turkey), the others Bbesi (Amelnd) (nos. 7811, 7732 nd 7805) were lso chllenged B. ovis, two infective blood, one sporozoite stbilte derived from infected dult R. burs. The sporozoite stbilte, prepred, fter 4 dys feeding on rbbit, in ccordnce method used for Theileri (5, 23), hd proved infective in two susceptible sheep, one which died bbesiosis; the other ws sved by tretment. 'Although two gots were splenectomized before chllenge, nd the other 11 dys fter it, B. ovis ws never observed in the blood the gots, nd no febrile rection occurred. Serologicl survey Our lbortory studies hve shown tht flse positive IFA titres up to 1/80 my occur (Fig. 5). We hve therefore tken s the lowest definitely positive titre 1/ 160. Positive titres were found in sheep different frms on the islnd Texel. In the one frm situted entirely in the dunes, ll 12 sheep smpled hd titres from 1/160 to 1/ 640; in frms outside the re the dunes the proportion positive titres vried but never reched 100%. No positive titres were found in the 170 sheep smpled in the province Drenthe nd the splenectomized sheep which hd received pooled blood from these sheep remined negtive, prsitologiclly s well s serologiclly, during n observtion period 40 dys. Trnsmission by ticks The Dutch prsite, hs been trnsmitted three times by Hemphyslis punctt. Figure 1 summrizes two the experiments. Trnsmission ws trnsovril in one cse, in the other it ws trnsovril nd/ or trnsstdil. One lter trnsovril experiment ws lso successful: 85 flt nymphs nd 68 flt dults H. punctt, collected from the vegettion on Texel, were fed on splenectomized sheep 7911, in which Bbesi ppered fter 8 dys. The Turkish B. motsi ws isolted from btch mixed H. punctt nd Hemphyslis otophil Schulze, 1918 (E. Schein, pers. comm.). A single experiment Bbesi (Amelnd) nd Rhipicephlus burs gve negtive result: A splenectomized sheep 10 THE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL 2; No. I. JAN. 1980

10 (7829) ws injected blood stbilte which contined the Amelnd strin Bbesi. (The blood ws obtined from sheep 7725, which hd been infected blood from 7722 in which the strin hd been first isolted.) Adults R. burs were fed t the sme time on sheep 7829, nd dropped, engorged, t the pek the very high prsitemi (dy 8). Lrve descending from these dults were fed on rbbit, nd dults resulting from the engorged nymphs (R. burs being twohost tick) were fed 3 months lter on splenectomized sheep (7910), in which no Bbesi ppered during 3 months' observtion period, while the niml remined lso serologiclly negtive. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS A lrge Bbesi sheep, trnsmissible by Hemphyslis punctt, occurs in the Netherlnds. Its pthogenicity to non-splenectomized sheep nd its significnce in the field remin to be determined, but from our preliminry findings they re likely to be low. Even in splenectomized sheep, tretment ws not lwys necessry, but concomitnt E. phgocytophil infection my sometimes hve ltered the course the disese. The prsite is not infective to gots; even splenectomized gots do not show serologicl evidence infection. No prsitologicl evidence infection ws seen in splenectomized clf. To which species should this Bbesi be ssigned? Morphologiclly it differs clerly from B. ovis, from the B. ovis-like prsite found in Scotlnd, nd from lrge Bbesi in Irn. The Dutch prsite is morphologiclly similr in descriptions its B. motsi nd to the lrge Bbesi from Germny nd Turkey. It differs from these s follows: B. motsi is defined s lrge Bbesi sheep nd gots, which is trnsmitted by Rhipicephlus burs. The Dutch prsite is not infective to gots. A single experiment on its trnsmissibility by R. burs ws negtive, but H. punctt is vector. There cn be no doubt tht Lestoqurd (1925), on whose description Wenyon's B. motsi is lrgely bsed, ws deling prsite both sheep nd gots, but the generlly ccepted fct tht B. motsi is trnsmitted by R. burs is not relly substntited by the literture. Mots (17, 18, 19) does not describe the species he ws deling nd which he trnsmitted R. burs. Mots does not sy, s Wenyon (32) sttes, tht the prsite he studied ws morphologiclly identicl B. bigemin cttle, only tht it resembled the piroplsm bovine hemoglobinuri, nd he considers his prsite the sme s the one studied by Bbes (2) nd other uthors, who clerly delt the smll B. ovis. Dschunkowsky nd Luhs (6) my hve been the first uthors to hve observed lrge Brbesi sheep. In fct, the only uthor reporting experimentl trnsmission B. motsi (s Piroplsm ovis Lestoqurd, (15)) by R. burs is Rstegleff (24). Although we do not deny the possibility tht R. burs my be. vector lrge Bbesie smll ruminnts, we must regrd her clims s extremely doubtful. She reports hving trnsmitted trnsstdilly mixed infection Anplsm ovis Lestoqurd, 1924, Theileri ovis Rodhin, 1916 (s Gonderi ovis Lestoqurd, 1924), Bbesi ovis, Bbesi motsi nd "Frnciell ovis" Ykimf, 1927,, out stting how she distinguished between the Bbesi nd "Frnciell" species; she lso reports incubtion periods which re too short to be cceptble (for instnce 3 dys only for Anplsm nd Thederi). The sttus the Germn lrge Bbesi is uncertin. It cused ptent infection in splenectomised got (10), while the Dutch prsite does not even cuse ltent infection. The vector ws found to be Ixodes ricinus by Enigk (8). This should be confirmed, nd it should be investigted whether the Dutch prsite. is trnsmissible by this tick, too, nd whether H. punctt is vector lso the Germn Bbesi. Serologicl comprisons show tht the Frnciell ovis Ykimf, 1927 does not exist. Ykimf did not regrd the prsite tht he plced in his genus Frnciell s different from the one seen by Bbes in 1892 (see 33). THE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOI.. 2, No. I. JAN I 1

11 Dutch nd the Turkish prsites differ considerbly, while cross-immunity tests tend to show differences, too. Another difference is tht the Turkish strin is infective to gots (lbeit the infection ws ltent). Both prsites re trnsmissible by Hemphyslis species: the strin in question ws isolted from tick btch consisting mixed H. punctt nd H. otophil (E. Schein, personl communiction), while Mrkov (in: Ershov (11) nd Wrnecke (31) report the trnsmission B. motsi by H. otophil. Are these differences sufficient to seprte the strins on the species level, nd if' so which one is B. motsi? Collins et l. (4), Morzri et l. (16), nd Hll et l. (13) find I FA differences between strins Plsmodium inui, Africn Theileri soutne, nd Plsmodium flciprum respectively, nd s Collins et l. (4) point out, geogrphiclly isolted strins one species might follow divergent evolution t the biochemicl nd biologicl level. Biochemicl differences my become pprent in serologicl tests nd in the isoenzyme ptterns, nd possibly in slight differences in infectivity for vrious nimls. Petunin nd Kozin (22) report morphologiclly identicl strins B. motsi nd B. ovis, dpted to either sheep or gots. This is confirmed both by our experiments the lrge Bbesi strins from the Netherlnds nd from Turkey, nd by those B. ovis (Turkey), which could not be detected prsitologiclly in splonectomised gots s opposed to sheep. Where does the notion strin, subspecies, nd species begin in orgnisms such s we re deling? The existence immunologiclly different strins, s shown in the cross-immunity experiments between Turkish nd Dutch strins, is in ny cse common in one species blood Protozo. The sitution ppers to be similr to tht existing regrd to the lrge Bbesie dogs, where strins trnsmissible by Dermcentor reticultus Fbricius, 1794, cnnot be drnsmitted by Rhipicephlus snguineus (Ltreille, 1806) nd there is lso no cross-immunity between such strins, so tht those which R. snguineus is the vector hve been given seprte nme, B. vogeli Reichenow,1937, s opposed to B. cnis (Pin nd Glli-Vlerio, 1895). Strins trnsmitted by ticks the Hemphyslis lechi group my gin be different (Reichenow, 1953). As it is in ny cse impossible to designte one prticulr strin lrge sheep Bbesi s the originl B. motsi, we prefer to designte them ll by tht nme. To distinguish between strins different chrcteristics, it my be convenient to dd the country or plce origin. In our experiments we should therefore distinguish between B. motsi (the Netherlnds) nd B. motsi (Turkey), nd we my redefine B. motsi s prsite sheep, in which mture per-forms hve n verge length bout 2.30 pm, which multiply by binry fission, nd which my or my not be infective to gots. Proven vectors re H. punctt, H. otophil, nd, until pro to the contrry is obtined, I. ricinus. The fct tht we hve not found evidence the presence B. motsi in region the Netherlnds (Drenthe) where only I. ricinus is known to occur, does not llow us to conclude tht this tick is not vector, s in the sheep smpled there ws no evidence E. phgocytophil either, nd this is definitely trnsmitted by tht tick. There is no pro R. burs being vector. Pegreffi nd Mur (1948) re the first to ssocite B. motsi H. punc-. tt. However, from their description the got prsite they sw in Srdini it is pprent tht it ws fr smller thn B. motsi, nd moreover they furnish no experimentl pro H. punctt being the vector; they my well hve delt B. ovis, which the tick vector, R. burs, is one the most common ticks on Srdini. Achr nd Srikntih (1) find B. motsi in Indi in sheep nturlly infested Hemphyslis bispinos Neumn, 1897, nd suspect this tick being vector. As B. motsi is lso widely spred in tropicl Afric where none these ticks occur, other ticks must lso ct s vectors. Enigk (8) did not succeed in trnsmitting the Germn prsite Dermcentor mrgintus Sulzer, TIIE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL. 2. No. I, JAN. 1980

12 Neitz (20) quotes RstegIeff (25) s hving trnsmitted B. motsi by Dermcentor silvrum Olenev, 1927, but the pper quoted, by RstegIeff et l., does not sy SO. We still hve to consider other Bbesi prsites described in smll ruminnts: Bbesi folit ws described by Ry nd Rghvchri in 1941, in sheep in Indi. It ws not infective to gots. The size this prsite nd its morphologicl description re rther similr to tht B. motsi, prt from the fct tht the ngle between pired individuls ws sid to be obtuse in greter percentge cses thn in B. motsi. Until the vector is known nd the prsite hs been compred in ll possible wys strins B. motsi, the vlidity B. folit must remin in doubt. The identity the prsite ded got in Indi, nmed Piroplsm tylori by Srwr (29), is impossible to determine. The morphology the orgnisms depicted clerly shows post-mortem ltertions. Both Theileri- nd Bbesi-like elements pper to be present. We propose to consider P. tylori s nomen nudum. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We re grteful Pr. E. Schein nd Pr. K. T. Friedhf for supplying the Turkish strins Bbesi, to Dr. R. Hshemi-Feshrki nd to Dr. R. E. Purnell for sending blood smers Bbesi sp. (Irn) nd Bbesi sp. (Scotlnd). We lso wish to thnk Mr. W. Jnsm in Uffelte for his help in the smpling 170 his sheep, s well s Mr. R. Heemstr, prctising veterinrin in Hvelte, for his ssistnce. REFERENCES I. Achr, S. D. nd Srikntih, G. N.: A note on Bbesi motsi, Wenyon (1926) in Sheep in Mysore Stte. Indin Vet. J., 10, 270, (1934). 2. Bbes, V.: L'étiologie d'une enzootie des moutons, &nominee Crceg en Roumnie. C.R. Acd. Sci. Pris, 115, 359, (1892). 3. Brocklesby, D. W., Zwrt, D., nd Perie, N. M.: Serologicl evidence for the identifiction Bbesi mior in Britin. Res. Vet. Sci (1971). 4. Collins, W. E., Wrren, M., Skinner. J. C., nd Ailing, D. W.: Plsmodium inui: Serologic reltionships Asin isoltes. Expl. Prsit., 27, 507. (1970). 5. Cunninghm, M. P., Brown, C. G. D., Burridge, M. J., nd Purnell, R. E.: Cryopreservtion infective prticles Theileri prv. Internt. J. Prsit., 3, 583. (1973). 6. Dschunkowsky, E, und Luhs, J.: Protozoenkrnkheiten des Blutes der Hustiere in Trnskuksien. 9. Internt. Tierrztl. Kongr., Den Hg, vol. I, S.G. 7, I.A, I, (1909). 7. Enigk, K.: Ds Auftreten der Schfpiroplsmose in Deutschlnd. Z. Tropenmed. (1953). Prsit., 4, 175, 8. Enigk, K.: Die Schfpiroplsmose in Deutschlnd. Dtsch. Tierärztl. Wschr., 63, 161, (1956). 9. Enigk, K. und Friedhf, K.; Bbesi cpreoli n.sp. beim Reh (Cpreolus cpreolus L.). Z. Tropenmed. Prsit., 13, 8, (1962). 10. Enigk, K., Friedhf, K., und Wirhdiredj, S.: Zur Wirtsspezifitt von Bbesi motsi und Bbesi vis (Piroplsmide). Z. Prsitenk., 24, 309, (1964). I I. Ershov, V. S. (Edit.): Prsitology nd prsitic diseses livestock. Isrel Progrm for Scientific Trnsltions, 1960, 278, (Trnsltion originl Russin edition 1956). 12. Friedhf, K. und Scholtyseck, E.: Feinstrukturen von Bbesi ovis (Piroplsmide) in Rhipkephlus burs (Ixodoide): Trnsformtion sphdroider Formen zu Vermiculformen. Z. Prsitenk., 30, 247, (1968). 13. Hll, C. L., Hynes, J. D., Chuly, J. D., nd Diggs, C. L.: Cultured Plsmodium flciprum used s ntigen in mlri indirect fluorescent ntibody test. Am. J. Trop. Med. hg., 27, 849, (1978). 14. Irvin, A. D. nd Young, E. R.: Possible in vitro test for screening drugs for ctivity ginst Bbesi nd other blood protozo. Nture. 269, 407, (1977). 15. Lestoqurd, F.: Troisieme note sur les piroplsmoses du mouton en Algerie. L piroplsmose vrie: Piroplsm (s. str.) ovis (nov. sp.). Comprison vecbbesiell ovis. Bull. Soc. Pth. Exot., 18, 140. (1925). 16. Morzri, S. P., Young, A. S., Kimber, C. D., nd Brocklesby, D. W.: The serologicl reltionship British Theileri other Theileri species using the indirect fluorescent ntibody test. Res. Vet. Sci, 22, 330, (1977). 17. Mots: L piroplsmose ovine 'crceg'. C. R. Soc. Biol., 54,1522, (1903). 18. Mots: Sur le role des tiques dns le developpement de l piroplsmose ovine (Crceg). C. R. Soc. Biol., 55,501. (19036). 19. Mots: Contribution bide de l piroplsmose ovine ('Crceg'). Archiv Veterinri, 1 (1-2), 37, (1904).. ThE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL. 2, NO. I, JAN

13 20. Neitz, W. 0.: Clssifiction, trnsmission nd biology piroplsms domestic nimls. Ann. N.Y. Acd. Sci., 64, 56, (1956). 21. Pegreffi, G. nd Mur, D.: Sull piroplsmosi delle cpre. Atti. Soc. hl. Sci. Vet., 2, 72, (1948). 22. Petunin, F. A. nd Kozin, N. P.: Adpttion piroplsmids to their sheep nd gots hosts. Progress in Protozoology, Proc. 3rd Internt. Congr. Protozool., Leningrd, 278, (1969). 23. Purnell, R. E., Brown, C. G. D., Cunninghm, M. P., Burridge, M. J., Kirimi, I. M., nd Ledger, M. A.: Est Cost fever: correltion between the morphology nd infectivity Theileri prv developing in its tick vector. Prsitology, 66, 539, (/973). 24. RstegIeff, E. F.: Zur Frge der Obertrger der Schfpiroplsmosen in Azerbidschn (Trnskuksien). Arch. Tierheilk., 67, 176, (1933). 25. RstegIeff, E. F., Timeeff, P. S. und Mtschulsky, S. N.: Zur Frge der endoglobulren Prsiten der Schfe und Ziegen und ihre Uebertrger. Vorlufige Mitteilung. Berl. Tierrztl. Wschr., 52, 584, (1936). 26. Ry, H. N. nd Rghvchri, K.: Observtions on Bbesi folit n.sp. from sheep. Indin J. Vet. Sci., II, 239, (1941). 27. Reichenow, W.: Lehrbuch der Protozoenkunde. 6. Aufl. Gustv Fischer Verlg, Jem, 957, (1953). 28. Reid, J. F., Armour, J., Jennings, F. W., nd Urquhrt, G. M.: bbesi in sheep - first isoltion. Vet. Rec., 99, 419, (1976). 29. Srwr, S. M.: A hitherto undescribed piroplsm gots (Piroplsm tylori). Indin J. Vet. Sci., 5, 171, (1935). 30. Uilenberg, G., Vorstenbosch, C. J. A. H. V. vn, nd Perie, N. M.: Blood prsites sheep in the Netherlnds. I. Anplsm meseterum sp.n. (Rickettsiles, Anplsmtcee). The Vet. Qurterly, 1, 14, (1979). 31. Wrnecke, M.: A survey the infesttion rte ixodid ticks piroplsms in Turkey. In: Wilde, J. K.H. (Edit.): Tick-borne diseses nd their vectors. Proc. Internt. Conf. Edinburgh, Edinburgh, University Press, 166, (1978). 32. Wenyon, C. M.: Protozoology. Vol. II. Hfner Publishing Compny, New York, 1965, 1005, (Fcsimile originl edition 1926). 33. Ykimf, W. L.: Endoglobulre Prsiten der Schfe im Nordkuksus. Arch. Protistenk., 65, 151, (1929). 14 I HE VETERINARY QUARTERLY, VOL 2, No. I, JAN. 1980