A symposium on canine biliary fever. Paper 1: relapses and immunity in canine babesiosis.

Canine and bovine babesiosis are compared with particular reference to the occurrence of relapses and some immunological aspects of the diseases. Intact dogs resemble splenectomized cattle in respect of the relatively frequent occurrence of clinical relapses of babesiosis. The possible reasons for this are discussed. Attention is drawn to the fact that a sterile immunity of variable duration follows on auto sterilization of some Babesia infections and that antigenically difference strains of the parasite occur in the field.