Tick-borne blood parasites in nyala (Tragelaphus angasii, Gray 1849) from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

A total of 97 blood samples of nyala (Tragelaphus angasii, Gray 1849) from South Africa were tested for the presence of tick-borne haemoparasites by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization. The majority of blood samples contained several different haemoparasites, often in combination. Prevalent haemoparasites were Theileria sp. (kudu), T. buffeli, Theileria sp. (sable), T. bicornis, Ehrlichia sp. Omatjenne, Anaplasma marginale and A. bovis. This serves as the first report of Theileria sp. (kudu), T. buffeli, T. bicornis, Ehrlichia sp. Omatjenne, A. marginale and A. bovis in nyala, who seem to carry multiple haemoparasites without ill effect.