Detection of Theileria luwenshuni in sheep from Great Britain

Theileria spp. are tick-borne protozoan parasites of the Phylum Apicomplexa, Order Piroplasmida that infect a wide range of wild and domestic animals. In Great Britain, Theileria spp. have been reported from livestock associated with transmission by the tick Haemaphysalis punctata. However, these reports have not been associated with disease. This study has investigated the cause of a disease outbreak accompanied by mortality in a flock of sheep grazing reclaimed marshland in north Kent. A polymerase chain reaction-reverse line blot assay indicated the presence of Theileria spp. in blood samples from five animals. Subsequent testing with a pan-piroplasm PCR of a larger panel of blood samples detected a piroplasm amplicon in 19 of 21 sheep submitted from the affected flock. Automated sequencing confirmed that these amplicons shared 99-100% identity with T. luwenshuni. The clinical and PCR data suggest infection with T. luwenshuni was associated with disease and mortality in this flock.