Interference between Theileria orientalis and hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas) in grazing cattle

Theileria orientalis and hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas) can cause anemia in cattle. Cattle infected with one of these two pathogens tend to resist infection by the other pathogen. This is called the “interference phenomenon”. However, the detailed investigation of this phenomenon using molecular techniques has not been performed until now. We used PCR to analyze blood samples from cattle grazing in two pastures, and investigated interference between T. orientalis and hemoplasmas. Results indicate that single infection with T. orientalis or hemoplasmas was more common than co-infections. The degree of anemia observed in co-infected animals was significantly milder compared to those only infected with T. orientalis. These findings revealed that the interaction between these two pathogens in cattle demonstrated interference.