Borrelia theileri: isolation from ticks (Boophilus microplus) and tick-borne transmission between splenectomized calves.

The bovine spirochete, Borrelia theileri, was detected in Giemsastained blood smears from a splenectomized calf 17 days after exposure to a laboratory colony of the tropical cattle tick, Boophilus microplus. Spirochetes were detected in the hemolymph and ovary of all engorged female ticks examined, indicating a high infection rate in this tick colony. Spirochetes were detected in a 2nd splenectomized calf 15 days after exposure to the larval offspring of ticks from the 1st calf. The only observable effect of infection in the 2 calves was a maximum rectal temperature increase to 40.2 C, which coincided with the first detectable parasitemia. The tick colony did not have any adverse effects, despite extensive multiplication of spirochetes in their tissues.