Construction of a genetic map for Theileria parva: Identification of hotspots of recombination

► This is the first genetic map for Theileria parva. ► Thirty five independent recombinant progeny clones were genotyped using 79 VNTR markers. ► A total of 10 hot spots and 13 cold spots of recombination were identified. ► The average genome-wide recombination rate was relatively high (0.22 cM Kb−1). ► Relatively large genetic size (1683.8 cM) compared with other apicomplexa.