East Coast Fever is caused by a single-celled parasite, carried by ticks, which gets into cells in cattle's blood, invades the lymphocytes, and causes fever and death. So far the principal strategy against this most devastating disease has been to regularly dip cattle into chemical baths, but most farmers have neither the money nor the facilities; indeed, the ticks are becoming immune to chemicals and new compounds must constantly be sought.
East Coast Fever limits the spread of livestock overlarge parts of East and Central Africa. It is endemic everywhere below 2500 metres and kills 0.5 million cattle each year.