Application of the indirect fluorescent antibody test for diagnosis of Theileria hirci infection of sheep: using cell culture schizont antigen.

The indirect fluorescent antibody test was applied for detection of circulating antibodies in sheep as a result of Theileria hirci infections. A schizont antigen was prepared from an in vitro culture suspension of lymphoid cells infected with T. hirci macroschizonts. The peak antibody titre of 1/8, 192 was reached 24 days after the initial antibody rise in the sheep experimentally infected by means of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum ticks.