Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

Bovine piroplasmosis (bovine theileriosis and babesiosis) caused by species of genera Babesia and Theileria, is characterized by fever and anemia. The disease usually results in severe economic losses in cattle industry worldwide. However, preventive and control measures against bovine piroplasmosis have often been ineffective. With an ultimate aim of minimizing the incidence of bovine piroplasmosis, we conduct research to 1) determine the current status of bovine piroplasmosis in Japan and other endemic countries; 2) identify tick vectors transmitting bovine Theileria, and thereby establish systematic tick-control measures; 3) determine immunological responses against Theileria infection in cattle and develop vaccine; 4) clarify the mechanisms by which Babesia invades erythrocytes with the objective of vaccine development; 5) establish effective techniques and tools to analyze the genetic polymorphism in vaccine candidate antigens; and 6) develop made-to-order type subunit vaccines effective in different endemic regions. To expedite our aim of eliminating bovine piroplasmosis, we maintain a strong international collaborative network and accept postgraduate students and young postdoctoral researchers for the development of human resources in countries where bovine piroplasmosis is endemic.

• The influence of deer piroplasma on the onset of bovine small piroplasmosis
• Development study of diagnostic method for bovine babesiosis in Sri Lanka
• Development of vaccine against bovine piroplasmosis for increasing the efficiency of cattle grazing management and productivity
• Development study of custom-made subunit cocktail vaccine against bovine babesiosis
• Epidemiological studies on animal protozoan diseases in Mongolia and development of effective diagnostics measures