Sheep may help spread nightmare cattle parasite

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-02-23 10:42

New Zealand

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New Zealand researchers have proven that sheep can carry and potentially spread the parasite behind the bovine anaemia epidemic. Sheep are asymptomatic carriers of the tick-borne parasite Theileria orientalis, meaning they are unaffected by the disease but can spread it to ticks which feed on them. The researchers suggest it could explain how the disease spread so quickly through the North Island after the outbreak in 2012.