Distribution and Prevalence of Theileria orientalis Genotypes in Adult Lactating Dairy Cows in South West Region of Western Australia

Bovine anaemia caused by Theileria orientalis group (BATOG) causes significant production and economic losses in Australia’s cattle industry. The pathogenic T. orientalis genotypes reported in Australian cattle are type 1 (Chitose) and type 2 (Ikeda). The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of T. orientalis genotypes in adult lactating cows in Western Australia (WA) dairy herds. A total of 100 whole blood samples from lactating cows from 10 farms were obtained and screened for T. orientalis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sanger sequencing was subsequently used to characterise T. orientalis genotypes isolated from positive samples. A total of thirteen cows (13%; 95% CI: 7.1–21.2%) were positive for T. orientalis, and six out of ten farms (60%; 95% CI: 26.2–87.8%) housed at least one T. orientalis-positive cow. The distribution of T. orientalis was found to be wide and dense in the South west region of WA and the southern coast of WA. The predominant T. orientalis genotype identified was Ikeda (n = 11, 11%; 95% CI: 5.6–18.8%), while the Buffeli genotype was identified in WA for the first time, albeit at a low prevalence (n = 1, 1%; 95% CI: 0.0–5.4%). This study has provided useful epidemiological evidence on the prevalence and distribution of T. orientalis in adult lactating dairy cows in WA dairy farms, and on the importance of conducting widespread surveillance programs for the understanding of BATOG in WA.