Babesia in sheep-first isolation
Reid, J.F.; Armour, J.; Jennings, F.W.; Urquhart, G.M.
Veterinary Record 99(21): 419
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 1006963 Document Number: 102863
Two lambs from a flock in Argyllshire with a history of weight loss and anaemia in lambs over several years were splenectomized and then given cortisone 24 days later. Within 48 hours a small babesia, 2 mu m in length, was detected in blood smears. Many erythrocytes contained only one parasite situated on the margin of the cell, while others were typically paired at a relatively obtuse angle. This is the first report of a babesia in British sheep, and it is suggested it may have been transmitted from red deer by Ixodes ricinus.