Piroplasmosis caused by different tick-borne hemoprotozoan parasites of the genera Theileria and Babesia is among the most economically important infections of domestic ruminants in sub-Saharan Africa. A survey for piroplasm infection was conducted in three locations in Northern Ethiopia. Of 525 domestic ruminants surveyed, 80% of the cattle, 94% of the sheep and 2% of the goats were positive for different Theileria spp. based on PCR of blood followed by DNA sequencing. Sheep had a significantly higher rate of infection compared with cattle (P<0.0003) and both sheep and cattle had higher rates of infection compared to goats (P<0.0001). Four species of Theileria were detected in cattle: T. velifera, T. mutans, T. orientalis complex and T. annulata with infection rates of 66, 8, 4, and 2%, respectively. This is the first report of T. annulata, the cause of Tropical Theileriosis in Ethiopia. Of the two Theileria spp. detected in small ruminants, T. ovis was highly prevalent (92%) in sheep and rare in goats (1.5%) whereas T. seperata was infrequent in sheep (2%) and rare in goats (0.4%). None of the animals were positive for Babesia spp.; however, Sarcocystis capracanis and S. tenella were detected in one goat and a sheep, respectively. The widespread distribution of Theileria spp. among cattle in northern Ethiopia including the virulent T. annulata and more mildly pathogenic T. mutans and T. orientalis, and the high infection rate in sheep with the usually sub-clinical T. ovis indicate extensive exposure to ticks and transmission of piroplasms with an important economic impact.

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics The Institute for Medical Research Israel Canada The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem 91120 Israel

Department of Microbiology Immunology and Parasitology Faculty of Medicine Addis Ababa University PO Box 9086 Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Vinicna 7 128 44 Prague 2 Czech Republic

Medical Parasitology unit Center of Malaria and other Tropical Diseases Institute of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Universidade Nova de Lisboa Rua da Junqueira 100 1349 008 Lisboa Portugal

School of Veterinary Medicine Hebrew University PO Box 12 Rehovot 76100 Israel

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