Comparison of the <i>in vitro</i> infectivity of different strains of <i>Theileria parva</i> in the Muguga cocktail vaccine

<i>Theileria parva</i>, a protozoan parasite, is the causative agent of East Coast fever (ECF), an economically important disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. The Muguga cocktail vaccine which comprises 3 <i>T. parva</i> strains, namely Muguga, Kiambu 5 and Serengeti transformed, is used for immunization of cattle to control ECF. However, the relative contributions of these <i>T. parva</i> strains to vaccine efficacy are not fully understood. This study compared the <i>in vitro</i> infectivity of the strains at varying concentrations of 2.75, 84.5, and 169 infected acini/ml using peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from a bovine donor. The presence of Schizonts in cytospin smears was used to determine infectivity rates. The results indicated significant differences in the overall infectivity among the 3 strains at the concentrations 2.75 and 84.5 infected acini/mL but not at 169 infected acini/mL (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). These results suggest that infectivity potential reduces as the concentration increases. This was also supported by the observation that contamination increased at higher concentrations, complicating visualization and analysis. The findings reinforce the need to support the balanced composition of the Muguga cocktail vaccine to ensure broad-spectrum protection against ECF. This study emphasizes maintaining strain proportions in vaccine formulations. Future research should focus on advanced molecular techniques to refine infectivity assessments and explore strain-specific immune responses <i>in vivo</i>, contributing to optimized vaccine efficacy and sustainable control of ECF in endemic countries.