Eperythrozoon ovis. II. Prevalence studies in sheep in Nigeria using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test.

A serological survey of Eperythrozoon ovis infection in sheep was carried out in the main sheep farming areas of Nigeria, using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. Out of a total of 402 animals surveyed, 145, representing 36 per cent, were found to be serologically positive. Approximately 90 per cent of the sero-positives were sheep kept under intensive or semi-intensive systems of management indicating that close contact facilitated spread of the parasite. Microscopic examination of representative blood smears revealed E. ovis in only 12 of the serologically positive sheep. It was concluded that endemic stability explains why the parasite has not been reported earlier in Nigeria.