Cattle diseases caused by the protozoan parasite Theileria
parva and transmitted by the brown ear tick Rhipicephalus
appendiculatus are among the most costly diseases in eastern,
central and southern Africa. The control of these diseases
in areas where they occur, and the prevention of their
spread to areas suitable for the survival and development of
the vector, should be based on a strong understanding of
their epidemiology. Therefore, methods to assist in transforming
epidemiological information into a format that will assist
animal health planners are needed. Computerized geographic
information systems (GIS) may offer such valuable methodology.
The purposes of this study were to define, characterize
and display on a geographic basis, factors governing the
epidemiology of cattle diseases caused by I parva. Factors
studied included the distributions of the vector ticks (R
appendiculatus and related species), major hosts (cattle and addition, continental representation of climatic parameters and satellite derived vegetation data were included. The
c1imatedatabaseswereproducedusingmathematicalinterpolations
of data from meteorological stations and further improved by
the incorporation of an altitude data set. Interpolated
climate databases were then used to run a climate matching
model (CLIMEX)l to define areas of climatic suitability for
tick distribution and abundance. A computerized geographic
information system was used to store, manipulate, analyze
buffalo) and display the data.
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