Ticks and tick-borne diseases.
Publisher:
Elsevier,
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Start Year:2010 -
ISSN:
1877-959X (Print)
1877-9603 (Electronic)
1877-959X (Linking)
1877-9603 (Electronic)
1877-959X (Linking)
Impact Factor
3.2
2022
| NLM ID: | 101522599 |
| (OCoLC): | 613091825 |
| LCCN: | 2010243412 |
| Classification: | W1 TI1006L |
Quantitative detection of Theileria haneyi in South African horses. Theileria haneyi is an apicomplexan parasite closely related to Theileria equi, a known causative agent of equine piroplasmosis. The molecular distinction between these parasites relies on a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, which has been reported to be unreliable. A recently reported indirect ELISA based on equi merozoite antigen 11 (Thema-11) of T. haneyi can detect geographically diverse T. haneyi strains. Since the ema-11 gene is exclusive to T. haneyi, it was chosen as the target for developing a TaqMan minor groove binder (MGB™) quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Published...
Risk factors for tick infestation and equine Piroplasmosis infection among draught horses in France. Equine piroplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasites Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, is endemic in Europe's Mediterranean basin, creating significant health and economic challenges for the equine sector. With no available vaccine, an eco-epidemiological approach is essential in order to identify and implement effective preventive measures. With this aim in view, we identified risk factors associated with B. caballi and T. equi infections and tick infestation for draught horses in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, known for its high piroplasmosis seroprevalence. During the spri...
Equine piroplasmosis in different geographical areas in France: Prevalence heterogeneity of asymptomatic carriers and low genetic diversity of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis is a worldwide tick-borne disease caused by the parasites Theileria equi sensu lato and Babesia caballi, with significant economic and sanitary consequences. These two parasites are genetically variable, with a potential impact on diagnostic accuracy. Our study aimed to evaluate the frequency of asymptomatic carriers of these parasites in France and describe the circulating genotypes. We developed a species-specific nested PCR protocol targeting the 18S small sub-unit (SSU) rRNA gene and used it on blood samples collected from 566 asymptomatic horses across four National V...
Seroprevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in wild and domestic animals in northern Germany. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a tick-transmitted flavivirus, which can infect humans and animals, sometimes even with a fatal outcome. Since many decades, TBEV is endemic in southern Germany, while only sporadic occurrence has been noted in northern parts of the country so far. Nevertheless, autochthonous human clinical cases are increasing in the federal state of Lower Saxony in north-western Germany, and several natural foci of TBEV transmission have recently been detected in this federal state. In order to shed more light on the current distribution of TBEV in Lower Saxony, the pr...
Clinical and epidemiological aspects of the infection by Babesia, Theileria and Trypanosoma species in horses from northeastern Colombia. Piroplasmosis and trypanosomiasis are debilitating diseases of great economic impact on the equine industry of Latin America. Considering the lack of studies in the northeastern part of Colombia, this study aimed to determine the epidemiological, clinical and genetic features associated with infection of the Babesia, Theileria, and Trypanosoma species in horses from this geographical area. Two hundred and eighty horses from the Arauca, Meta, and Santander departments were molecularly analyzed for infection with Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, Trypanosoma evansi, and Trypanosoma vivax. Further...
Prevalence and genetic diversity of Theileria equi from horses in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, China. Theileria equi is a tick-borne intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasite that causes equine theileriosis (ET). ET is an economically important disease with a worldwide distribution that significantly impacts international horse movement. Horses are an essential part of the economy in Xinjiang which is home to ∼10% of all the horses in China. However, there is very limited information on the prevalence and genetic complexity of T. equi in this region. Blood samples from 302 horses were collected from May to September 2021 in Ili, Xinjiang, and subjected to PCR examination for the presence...
Comparison of direct and indirect methods to maximise the detection of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi infections in Central Southern Italy. Equine piroplasmosis is a disease of equids, caused by tick-borne apicomplexan protozoan pathogens Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, which, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), can be diagnosed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The present study was conducted to evaluate and compare the assays available for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis. Data employed were obtained from 1300 blood samples collected between 2012-2014 from asymptomatic and symptomatic equines (horses and donk...
MMV020275 and MMV020490, promising compounds from malaria box for the treatment of equine piroplasmosis. Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-transmitted disease that is considered one of the most serious infectious diseases affecting equines. Searching for novel antipiroplasm drugs remains indispensable due to the emergence and spreading of resistant piroplasm parasites against the limited currently used drugs, diminazene aceturate and imidocarb dipropionate. Therefore, novel drugs with specified targets need to be identified and exploited. The inhibitory effects of Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Malaria Box compounds with potent in vitro anti-equine piroplasmosis activity were evaluated against ...
Molecular detection and phylogenetic characterization of Theileria equi in horses (Equus caballus) from a peri-urban area of Argentina. To investigate the presence of Theileria equi in an endemic area of equine piroplasmosis 42 horses (Equus caballus) from Corrientes City, Argentina were sampled. Eighty-one percent (34 blood samples) of the analyzed horses were tested positive to the presence of piroplasmid 18S rDNA. All these samples could be identified as T. equi by amplifying the specific EMA-1 (merozoite antigen 1) gene of this species. Phylogenetic analysis of an obtained 18S rDNA complete sequence from one strain resulted in the identification of this sample as T. equi sensu stricto (genotype A). This study presents the ...
A survey on equine tick-borne diseases: The molecular detection of Babesia ovis DNA in Turkish racehorses. Common vector-borne diseases of horses include equine piroplasmosis (EP) caused by Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, and equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Equine piroplasmosis leads to severe health issues in horses and restrictions on the movement of horses internationally. Anaplasma phagocytophilum causes an acute febrile illness in horses and is also of zoonotic importance. In the present study, blood samples were collected from 152 Turkish racehorses from three different provinces (İzmir, Gaziantep, and Konya) of Turkey to investigate the preval...
Anti-piroplasmic activity of novobiocin as heat shock protein 90 inhibitor against in vitro cultured Theileria equi and Babesia caballi parasites. Theileria equi and Babesia caballi are the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis (EP). Currently, imidocarb dipropionate (ID) is the only available drug for treating the clinical form of EP. Serious side effects and incomplete clearance of infection is a major drawback of ID. Heat-shock proteins (Hsp) play a vital role in the life cycle of these haemoprotozoans by preventing alteration in protein conformation. These Hsp are activated during transmission of EP sporozoites from the tick vector (poikilotherm) to the natural host (homeotherm) and facilitate parasite survival. In the present stu...
Molecular detection of Theileria equi in horses from Veracruz, Mexico. Equine piroplasmosis is a tropical parasitic disease caused by several intraerythrocytic members of the genera Babesia and Theileria. These pathogens are transmitted by multiple tick species and are considered as important exotic microorganisms in several countries. Equine piroplasmosis causes significant economic losses due to abortions, decreased activity and even death of equines, making surveillance of these infectious disease essential. In the northern and eastern parts of Mexico, few molecular and serological reports have been made on the presence and exposure of horse to these agents. F...
Detection of Ehrlichia sp. in Amblyomma sculptum parasitizing horses from Brazilian Pantanal wetland. Bacteria of the genus Ehrlichia are transmitted by ticks and also are an important cause of infection in wild and domestic mammals. Infection with Ehrlichia spp. has been reported in horses, especially in the USA, Nicaragua and Brazil. In this study, we report the parasitism by Amblyomma sculptum, Rhipicephalus microplus and Dermacentor nitens ticks in horses from a ranch located in south Pantanal wetland. Molecular and serological analyzes to determine infection by Ehrlichia spp. in horses and their respective ticks were carried out. A total of 12 horses were submitted to blood collection to ...
Rickettsia amblyommatis isolated from Amblyomma mixtum (Acari: Ixodida) from two sites in Panama. Rickettsia amblyommatis is widely distributed in the Americas, and has been reported to infect different species of ticks within its distribution. In Panama, R. amblyommatis is the most common Rickettsia and its presence was molecularly detected in nine species of ticks and one flea species. This work described the isolation of R. amblyommatis in Vero cells by shell vial technique, from Amblyomma mixtum ticks collected from a captive tapir from Gamboa (Colon province), and a horse from El Valle de Antón (Cocle province). These represent the first isolations of R. amblyommatis in Panama.
Phylogenetic analysis and geographical distribution of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi sequences from horses residing in Spain. The intraerythrocytic protozoans Theileria equi and Babesia caballi are the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis (EP), one of the most important equine tick-borne diseases due to its significant impact on global international horse trade. Although EP is known to be endemic in Spain, previous phylogenetic studies have only been conducted for limited geographical regions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity and distribution of these parasite species nationwide. This was performed by amplification of the 18S small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene from 100 EP ...
Infection dynamics of Theileria equi in carrier horses is associated with management and tick exposure. The tick-borne equine hemoparasite, Theileria equi, is endemic in many parts of the world where prevalence may be high, and most infected horses are apparently healthy but serve as life-long carriers. To determine the factors that affect T. equi dynamics, we followed parasitic loads in apparently healthy horses at four time points during one year. A total of 1094 blood samples were collected from 395 horses, along with ticks and demographic and clinical data. Infection and load of T. equi were tested by PCR and qPCR, and for the spring dataset, infection was also tested serologically by IFAT (...
Detection of antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis flaviviruses in breeding and sport horses from Spain. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and louping-ill virus (LIV) are two closely related zoonotic flaviviruses leading to neurological diseases and belonging to the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) serocomplex. Both viruses are transmitted by the same ixodid tick vector, Ixodes ricinus. Due to global warming affecting vector biology and pathogen transmission, the viruses pose an emerging threat for public health in Europe and Asia. These flaviviruses share some hosts, like sheep, goats and humans, although the main hosts for LIV and TBEV are sheep and small rodents, respectively. Whereas LIV has ...
Molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens harbored by ticks collected from livestock in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Ticks carry and transmit a wide range of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and protozoa) that are of importance to humans and animals globally. However, information about the tick-borne pathogens harbored by ticks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), northwestern China, is scarce. This study investigated the occurrence of tick species of domestic animals and tick-borne pathogens by using morphological molecular identification and sequence analysis in Turpan, Qitai, Altay, Hejing, Nileke, and Zhaosu counties (XUAR). A total of 5822 adult ticks (females and males) from 12 tick species wer...
Serological and molecular detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Thoroughbred horses from Chilean racecourses. Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA). This study aimed to perform serological and molecular surveys of A. phagocytophilum in thoroughbred horses from racecourses in Chile. Additionally, hematological findings related to A. phagocytophilum molecular positivity were addressed, and phylogenetic analysis of selected positive samples was performed. Complete blood count and msp2 gene real-time PCR were performed in 457 thoroughbred horses from three racecourses located in three different cities of Chile (Santiago, Viña del Mar and Concepción). ...
First record of Hyalomma rufipes in the Czech Republic, with a review of relevant cases in other parts of Europe. We found a male Hyalomma rufipes Koch, 1844 tick feeding on a horse grazing near Valtice, south Moravia, Czech Republic on October 24, 2019. The horse was born in Czechland and did not leave the country at least during the last five years. Relevant findings of Hyalomma ticks in other parts of central Europe are reviewed, including also records of pre-imaginal Hyalomma marginatum complex ticks on migrating birds all over Europe.
Stress conditions do not affect Theileria equi parasitemia levels in sub-clinically infected horses. Stress has been suggested as a risk factor for Theileria equi peracute disease and may lead to relapse in clinical signs in chronically infected horses. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress on T. equi parasitemia in sub-clinically infected horses in two settings: horses hospitalized at a veterinary teaching hospital and horses from an endurance farm. Blood samples were collected from the hospitalized horses (n = 32) upon admission (T0) and at discharge (T1) from the hospital, and results were compared between horses that underwent surgery (stress) and other hospitalized...
Molecular genotyping and epidemiology of equine piroplasmids in South Africa. Recently reported substantial genetic diversity within Theileria equi 18S rRNA gene sequences has led to the identification of five genotypes A, B, C, D, and E, complicating molecular and serological diagnosis. In addition, T. haneyi has lately been reported as a species closely related to the T. equi 18S rRNA genotype C (Knowles et al., 2018). Theileria spp. of this group have a monophyletic origin and are therefore referred to as Equus group to distinguish them from the remaining Theileria lineages (Jalovecka et al., 2019). In this study, we report on the development of genotype-specific qua...
Importance of equine piroplasmosis antibody presence in Spanish horses prior to export. Serological analysis of equine piroplasmosis (EP), caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, is included in the export testing requirements for most of the countries worldwide, thus involving a high economic impact on equine industry of EP-endemic countries, such as Spain. A total of 3368 serum samples from healthy horses collected prior to export between 2015 and 2018 in Spain were tested for antibodies against T. equi and B. caballi by using a competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). The overall seroprevalence results in Spain revealed that almost a quarter of t...
Genetic characteristics of Theileria equi in zebras, wild and domestic donkeys in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an important tick-borne disease of equids, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. It is endemic in most parts of the world, including Israel, and has clinical and economic consequences. This study was set to evaluate the presence of EP parasites in domestic donkeys and in wild equids in Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). To assess subclinical EP infection in 98 domestic donkeys (Equus africanus asinus), 9 Asiatic wild donkeys (Equus hemionus), 8 zebras (Equus quagga), 7 African wild donkeys (Equus africanus) and 5 mules, were tested using PCR and qPC...
Hyalomma rufipes on an untraveled horse: Is this the first evidence of Hyalomma nymphs successfully moulting in the United Kingdom? During September 2018, a tick was submitted to Public Health England's Tick Surveillance Scheme for identification. The tick was sent from a veterinarian who removed it from a horse in Dorset, England, with no history of overseas travel. The tick was identified as a male Hyalomma rufipes using morphological and molecular methods and then tested for a range of tick-borne pathogens including; Alkhurma virus, Anaplasma, Babesia, Bhanja virus, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus, Rickettsia and Theileria. The tick tested positive for Rickettsia aeschlimannii, a spotted fever group rickettsia li...
Assessment of equine piroplasmids in the Nhecolândia sub-region of Brazilian Pantanal wetland using serological, parasitological, molecular, and hematological approaches. Brazilian Pantanal is the world´s largest wetland ecosystem, where cattle's ranching is the most important economic activity. The objective of this study was to compile some epidemiological features on equine piroplasmids from the Nhecolândia sub-region of Pantanal wetland through the evaluation of the patterns of T. equi and B. caballi infections in different groups of horses; identification of the tick species that infest horses; and to study phylogenetic relationships among Theileria equi 18S rRNA gene sequences. During October 2015, blood and serum samples were collected from 170 horses ...
Identification of a non-host semiochemical from tick-resistant donkeys (Equus asinus) against Amblyomma sculptum ticks. Amblyomma sculptum is a tick affecting animal and human health across Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. Donkeys, Equus asinus, are known to be resistant to A. sculptum, suggesting that they can produce non-host tick semiochemicals (allomones), as already demonstrated for some other vertebrate host/pest interactions, whereas horses, Equus caballus, are considered as susceptible hosts. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that donkeys produce natural repellents against A. sculptum, by collecting sebum from donkeys and horses, collecting the odour from sebum extracts, and identifying do...
The first molecular detection and genetic diversity of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in horses of Gansu province, China. Equine piroplasmosis, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, is an economically important tick-borne disease worldwide. In the current study, 242 blood samples were randomly collected from horses in Zhangye city of Gansu province, China. The presence and genetic diversity of piroplasms were evaluated with a nested PCR assay, gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The results showed that seventy-five (31.0%) samples were positive for piroplasms. Sequences analysis showed that seventy-three (30.2%) were positive for T. equi, and seven (2.9%) for B. caballi, five of which (2.1%) were i...
A multinested PCR for detection of the equine piroplasmids Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. Two haemoparasites, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, cause equine piroplasmosis (EP), one of the most prevalent tick-borne diseases in horses. The main aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a multinested PCR (mn-PCR) for simultaneous detection of the equine piroplasmids T. equi and B. caballi, by amplification of five genetic markers (18S rRNA, β-tubulin, cytB, EMA-1 and RAP-1). This novel assay detected a high prevalence of equine piroplasmids in 235 horse blood samples collected in Castilla-León and Extremadura, Spain. The overall prevalence of infection with equine pirop...
Genetic diversity of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infecting horses of Central-Southern Italy and preliminary results of its correlation with clinical and serological status. Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are tick-borne pathogens causing equine piroplasmosis infecting the Equidae family in which they cause significant sanitary and economic losses. Furthermore, equine piroplasmosis is included in the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) notifiable diseases list with possible movement restrictions for positive horses. Thirty-nine EDTA and whole-blood samples collected during 2013 and 2014 from symptomatic and asymptomatic horses of Central-Southern Italy were included in the present study either because of their strongly positive results in Real Time (RT) PCRs...