Cattle and small ruminant piroplasmosis in Macedonia, Greece.

Macedonia is an endemic region of cattle as well as of sheep and goat piroplasmosis In cattle, Theileria orientalis (=T. buffeli?), the agent of Eurasian benign theileriosis, is the most common and widespread piroplasm species. T. annulata, the agent of tropical theileriosis, seems to be rare and limited to few foci, but causes very severe clinical cases, especially in imported pure-bred or cross-bred animals. Babesia bovis and B. bigemina are present in several localities, and often coexist. Cattle babesiosis cases are due to both piroplasms, but B. bovis is considered responsible for the severe and acute clinical cases. Ovine and caprine babesiosis is due to B. ovis and mainly affected imported animals as well as indigenous animals which have been transported from localities where the infection was absent. B. ovis is extremely widespread in both sheep and goats. During the last decades, no clinical cases of small ruminant theileriosis have been registered in this region. However, T. ovis, a non-pathogenic theileria, is common in sheep, but not in goats. Anaplasma ovis, a protobacterium of small ruminants, is also present in the region.