An Approach to the Economic Assessment of East Coast Fever in Kenya

Abstract

East Coast fever (E.C.F.) is considered to be the most important cattle disease in East and Central Africa and is a major inhibitor of cattle improvement programmes in the region. No detailed assessment of the economic significance of the disease is available. E.C.F. is now understood to be caused in East Africa by Theileria parva (parva) transmitted between cattle by Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks, T. parva (lawrencei) transmitted from African buffalo to cattle by the same tick species and T. mutans common in African buffalo and cattle, transmitted by Amblyomma species and which can occur in a pathogenic form (Purnell, 1977, Moll et al., 1981). This complicated syndrome may also include other Theileria species, especially from wild bovidae, but as yet their importance has not been defined.