Approximately five years have elapsed since the Conference on "Tick-borne Diseases and their Vectors" (Wilde, 1978, University of Edinburgh) was held at the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh. Theileriosis was one of the main topics at that Conference and some 20 scientific presentations were given. Also in the same year a Workshop on "Theileriosis" was held at the Kenyatta Conference Centre in Nairobi (Henson & Campbell, 1977, IDRC, Ottawa). Both of these meetings provided a valuable up dating of theilerial diseases, and the Proceedings have been a constant source of reference for scientists in the ensuing years. The meetings played a significant role in setting the scene for a number of important advances which have been made since then. In February of this year, attention was focused on these advances when nearly 200 scientists from over 30 countries were assembled at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases in Nairobi for the international conference on "Advances in the Control of Theileriosis". The interest and concern shown in this subject has now grown to the extent that more than 70 scientific presentations were given over the course of a very busy week. An important facet of the Conference was the attention given to the control of Theileriosis, since this must be the ultimate aim of all those involved with the disease. Control will be difficult.

Approximately five years have elapsed since the Conference on "Tick-borne Diseases and their Vectors" (Wilde, 1978, University of Edinburgh) was held at the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh. Theileriosis was one of the main topics at that Conference and some 20 scientific presentations were given. Also in the same year a Workshop on "Theileriosis" was held at the Kenyatta Conference Centre in Nairobi (Henson & Campbell, 1977, IDRC, Ottawa). Both of these meetings provided a valuable up dating of theilerial diseases, and the Proceedings have been a constant source of reference for scientists in the ensuing years. The meetings played a significant role in setting the scene for a number of important advances which have been made since then. In February of this year, attention was focused on these advances when nearly 200 scientists from over 30 countries were assembled at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases in Nairobi for the international conference on "Advances in the Control of Theileriosis". The interest and concern shown in this subject has now grown to the extent that more than 70 scientific presentations were given over the course of a very busy week. An important facet of the Conference was the attention given to the control of Theileriosis, since this must be the ultimate aim of all those involved with the disease. Control will be difficult.

Theileriosis is the name given to infections caused by several species of Theileria, the most important of which in Africa are Theileria annulata and Theileria parva. Their distributions in the continent are distinct, and follow that of their main field tick vectors. The annulata occurs in North Africa and the Nile River Valley, and the parva in sub-Saharan eastern, central, and southern Africa. This book reviews the work on theileriosis since 1902 from an historical, biological, ecological, epidemiological, and economic point of view. The results shed new light on poorly understood areas in theileriosis and at the same time assist with the development of more robust control strategies. Focuses on a tick borne parasite that threatens twenty-five million cattle in Central and East Africa Assembles all current data on the epidemiology of theileriosis in Africa Lays the groundwork for future studies

It is vital to understand ticks and tick-borne pathogens as well as their impact on humans. This book is intended for students in parasitology, biologists, parasitologists involved in molecular diagnostics of tick-borne diseases, practicing veterinarians, and for others who may require information on ticks and tick-borne diseases. Here we have put together a collection of chapters focused on different aspects of ticks and tick-borne diseases mainly to provide the reader with novel information in the field, but not the basic generalised information provided by many textbooks. This book includes topics such as high-throughput technologies in diagnosis, discovery of novel tick vaccines, identification of new pathogens transmitted by ticks, and new epidemiological information of certain well-known ticks and tick-borne diseases. These chapters were authored by parasitologists from all over the world, giving an insight to the reader about significant ticks and tick-borne diseases prevalent in those particular geographical regions with the local expert's point of view. Each of the chapters has separate reference lists, making it easier for the reader to find additional reading material related to their topic of interest.

Most of the future increase in livestock production is expected to occur in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Cattle are the most numerous of the ruminant species in the tropics and provide the largest quantity of animal food products. More than one-third of the world's cattle are found in the tropics. Disease is the major factor which prohibits full utilization of these regions for cattle production. Various infectious and transmissible viral, rick ettsial, bacterial, and particularly protozoan and helminthic diseases, are widespread in the tropics and exert a heavy toll on the existing cattle industry there. This uncontrolled disease situation also discourages investment in cattle industries by private and government sectors. In Africa alone, it is estimated that 125 million head of cattle could be accommodated in the tropical rainbelt if the disease and other animal husbandry factors could be resolved. The potential of efficient cattle production under more favorable conditions prompted various international agencies to establish a multi million dollar International Laboratory for Research in Animal Diseases (ILRAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. In South America, principal sites for raising cattle are shifting to the savannah lands because the more fertile soils are being used for crop produc tion, however, in the savannahs also, disease remains the most powerful deterrent in implementing the cattle industry.