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Inverse Age Resistance to Experimental Babesia Diver gens Infection in Cattle.

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 30, pages 453–464 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

Two groups of calves, 1.5-2 and 7–11 months old respectively, and dairy cows were inoculated i.v. with 3 × 107 erythrocytes infected with Babesia divergens.

High parasitaemia, fever and other clinical signs of babesiosis occurred among adult animals. A very low parasitaemia and a slightly increased body temperature but no other symptoms occurred in calves. These findings substantiate the conclusion that there exists an inverse age resistance against Babesia divergens. The kinetics of B. divergens IgG antibody formation were similar in all age groups. Consequently this antibody response was not the factor determining the development of the primary parasitaemia and thus the inverse age resistance phenomenon.

However, age is not necessarily the only factor involved in the clinical expression of babesiosis. The kinetics of antibody formation was not associated with the intensity of the parasitaemia. In fact only about half the animals had a demonstrable parasitaemia although the antibody responses were similar in all age groups.

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  1. Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Section of Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the National Veterinary Institute, P. O. Box 7073, S-75007, Uppsala, Sweden

    Dan A. Christensson

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Christensson, D.A. Inverse Age Resistance to Experimental Babesia Diver gens Infection in Cattle.. Acta Vet Scand 30, 453–464 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548023

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147