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Topic:Theileria equi
Theileria equi is a protozoan parasite that infects horses, causing a disease known as equine piroplasmosis. This parasite is transmitted primarily through tick bites, with species such as Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor acting as vectors. The infection can lead to a range of clinical signs in horses, including fever, anemia, jaundice, and lethargy. Infected horses may also exhibit decreased performance and, in severe cases, death. Diagnosis of Theileria equi involves blood tests, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and serological methods, to detect the presence of the parasite or antibodies. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the transmission, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of Theileria equi in equine populations.
Diagnostic real-time PCR assay for the quantitative detection of Theileria equi from equine blood samples. We developed a TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the quantitative detection of Theileria equi from the in vitro-cultured parasite and field blood samples collected from horses living in Ghana and Brazil. The detection limit for the assay was determined to be 1.5 parasites/microl per sample, and the quantitative capacity was demonstrated using the in vitro-cultured parasite. For field applications, the real-time PCR assay was compared to a previously established nested PCR assay used as the gold standard for the real-time PCR assay. Of 65 field blood samples, 46 samples...
Comparison of polymerase chain reaction methods for the detection of Theileria equi infection using whole blood compared with pre-extracted DNA samples as PCR templates. Rapid, efficient, and reproducible procedures for isolating DNA before PCR gene amplification are essential for the diagnosis of piroplasms. In this study, we evaluated the ease and reliability of detecting Theileria equi by PCR using pre-extracted DNA samples (by QIAamp DNA Mini Kit and phenol-chloroform methods) compared with blood spotted on FTA cards as PCR templates. Although minimal variations in limit of detection were observed among the methods compared, overall, the use of pre-extracted DNA samples and blood spotted on FTA cards had comparable detection limits. These results indicate ...
Passive transfer of Theileria equi antibodies to neonate foals of immune tolerant mares. Equine babesiosis, a tick transmitted haemoprotozoan disease caused by Theileria equi is globally distributed and responsible for heavy economic losses to the equine husbandry. Equids reared in endemic areas usually pick up infection at an early age and become immune tolerant throughout their life span. We studied the level of passively transferred antibodies in neonate foals born from pre-immuned mares. Latently T. equi infected pre-immuned pony and donkey mares (three each) were selected and T. equi antibody titres in neonates was monitored till 90 days post foaling (DPF) by applying Dot-ELI...
Detection of Babesia (Theileria) equi (Laveran, 1901) in horses in the Kars province of Turkey. This study was carried out in order to detect antibodies to Babesia (Theileria) equi in the local breed of horses in the province of Kars, Turkey. A total of 108 serum samples from apparently healthy horses in eight villages were examined for B. equi antibodies by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Of the 108 samples tested, 27 (25%) were found to be seropositive. The horses sampled in Aydinalan village had the highest prevalence (50.0%) of Babesia equi infection while the lowest prevalence was found among horses from Bayraktar village (12.5%). Statistically significant differ...
Validation of the indirect fluorescent antibody and the complement fixation tests for the diagnosis of Theileria equi. The indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test for Theileria equi was evaluated to assess test's suitability for the serological diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis, to provide performance parameters for the purpose of test validation, and to compare it with the complement fixation (CF) test. Using a protocol that included Evan's blue, the specificity of the IFA test was estimated at 99.0% for T. equi by the classical method of analysis, and 96.6% by the Bayesian method. The use of Evan's blue in the test protocol increased test specificity and contributed to an excellent test agreement between tw...
Molecular evidence for transplacental transmission of Theileria equi from carrier mares to their apparently healthy foals. The intra-erythrocytic parasite Theileria equi is one of two tick-transmitted causative agents of equine piroplasmosis. Piroplasms of T. equi can be transmitted across the equine placenta and once a horse is infected, it appears to remain a lifelong carrier, since anti-theilerial drugs suppress but do not eliminate the parasite. Carrier mares may transmit the organism to their offspring and this may result in abortion or neonatal piroplasmosis, but observations by some researchers suggest that foals may be born as carriers yet remain apparently healthy. Using a T. equi-specific oligonucleotide...
[Detection of Babesia caballi (Nuttall, 1910) and Theileria equi (Syn. Babesia equi , Laveran, 1901) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in show and sport horses in the region of Ankara]. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnosis of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopic examination of blood specimens collected from show and sport horses in the region of Ankara in 2004. The blood specimens were collected from randomly selected 200 show and sport horses in the region of Ankara during the tick season as well as before and after the tick season for PCR testing. At the same time, Giemsa stained peripheral blood smears were examined for the presence of Babesia spp. and also the horses were examined for the presence of ticks...
Pathologic findings in reintroduced Przewalski’s horses (Equus caballus przewalskii) in southwestern Mongolia. The Przewalski's horse (Equus caballus przewalskii) was extinct in the wild by the mid 1960s. The species has survived because of captive breeding only. The Takhin Tal reintroduction project is run by the International Takhi Group; it is one of two projects reintroducing horses to the wild in Mongolia. In 1997 the first harem group was released. The first foals were successfully raised in the wild in 1999. Currently, 63 Przewalski's horses live in Takhin Tal. Little information exists on causes of mortality before the implementation of a disease-monitoring program in 1998. Since 1999, all dead...
Age-dependent dynamics of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in southwest Mongolia based on IFAT and/or PCR prevalence data from domestic horses and ticks. Epidemiological factors of tick-borne equine piroplasmoses, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, were investigated using logistic regression (GLM) and general additive models (GAM) based on the prevalences determined in 510 domestic horses and in ticks in S.W. Mongolia by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and/or multiplex PCR. Prevalences of T. equi and B. caballi in horses were 66.5% (95% CI: 62.1-70.7) and 19.1% (15.6-22.9), respectively by PCR and 78.8% (74.9-82.3) and 65.7% (61.3-69.9) by IFAT. Of 166 ticks analysed from PCR- and IFAT-negative horses 1 was PCR posit...
Comparative evaluation of the sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and in vitro culture methods for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis. The sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and in vitro culture methods for the detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi was evaluated using tenfold serially diluted culture parasites. On day 1 post-culture, both T. equi and B. caballi parasites could only be observed at 1% parasite dilution from the in vitro culture method, whereas LAMP could detect up to 1 x 10(-3)% of both T. equi and B. caballi parasite dilutions, whilst PCR could detect 1 x 10(-3)% T. equi and 1 x 10(-1)% B. caballi parasite dilutions. On day 7 post-culture, the detection limit for T. equi and B. caballi in the in vitro culture ...
A serological study of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in Thoroughbreds in Trinidad. Ninety-three (93) horses were investigated for serum antibodies to Theileria equi (T. equi) and Babesia caballi (B. caballi) using the immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Seventy-seven (82.8%) horses were seropositive; 31 (33.3%) were positive to T. equi compared to 64 (68.8%) to B. caballi while 18 (19.4%) horses were seropositive to both parasites. No significant differences in antibody frequencies among females and males for either T. equi or B. caballi were noted. Differences in seropositivity to B. caballi among age groups were not significant. Antibodies to T. equi were more frequent...
Equine piroplasmoses at the reintroduction site of the Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) in Mongolia. Piroplasmosis has been identified as a possible cause of mortality in reintroduced Przewalski's horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in the Dsungarian Gobi (Mongolia). A cross-sectional and a longitudinal study were conducted in a representative sample (n = 141) of the resident domestic horse population and in 23 Przewalski's horses to assess the prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Piroplasms were detected in blood by light microscopy in 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6-12.2%) of the domestic horse samples. Antibody prevalence was 88.6% (95% CI: 82.4-92.9%) for T. equi and 75....
Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel nucleic acid method whereby DNA is amplified with high specificity, efficiency, and rapidity under isothermal conditions using a set of four specifically designed primers and a DNA polymerase with strand displacement activity. In this study, we used LAMP primer sets designed from EMA-1 and Bc 48 genes for detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections, respectively. These primer sets specifically amplified DNA of the respective parasites. Both primer sets amplified T. equi and B. caballi up to 10(-6) dilution of 10-fold seria...
Seroepidemiological evidence for the possible presence of Babesia (Theileria) equi and Babesia caballi infections in donkeys in western Xinjiang, China. The prevalence of Babesia (Theileria) equi and B. caballi infections in donkeys in western Xinjiang China was investigated. In total, 93 serum samples were randomly taken from donkeys in the Kashi and Ili areas, and examined for B. equi and B. caballi infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using recombinant antigens. Of the 93 samples, 9 (9.6%) and 36 (38.7%) samples were positive for B. equi infection and B. caballi infection, respectively. In addition, 2 (2.2%) samples were positive for both B. equi and B. caballi infections. These results indicate that equine babesiosis might be e...
Use of an in vitro culture system to detect Theileria equi strains from infected equids and/or reservoirs. A horse erythrocyte culture technique, partly modifying that originally developed by Holman, was used to detect the presence of Theileria equi strains in 12 horse and 2 mule blood samples. The animals were placed into four groups on the basis of their case history and laboratory test results: the mules and two horses were considered as infected and included in the 'recent infection' group, four horses with a history of past infection were included in the 'past infection' group and four animals subjected to anti-theileria treatment formed the 'treated animals' group. The final group consisted o...
Immunochromatographic test for simultaneous serodiagnosis of Babesia caballi and B. equi infections in horses. An immunochromatographic test for the simultaneous detection of Babesia caballi- and B. equi-specific antibodies (BceICT) was developed using a recombinant B. caballi 48-kDa rhoptry protein (rBc48) and a recombinant truncated B. equi merozoite antigen 2 (rEMA-2t). An evaluation of the ability of the BceICT to detect antibodies in sera from uninfected horses and experimentally infected horses showed high sensitivities and specificities of 83.3% (10/12 sera) and 92.9% (52/56 sera), respectively, for the anti-B. caballi antibody and 94.1% (16/17 sera) and 88.2% (45/51 sera), respectively, for the...
[An epidemiological survey of equine anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum) in southern France]. Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. According to some reports the disease can be introduced into disease-free zones by migrating birds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of A. phagocytophilum in horses in the Camargue. Data concerning 424 horses were gathered and the sera were tested for A. phagocytophilum and for piroplasmoses using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a complement fixation test, respectively. The seroprevalence rates were 11.3 % for A. phagocytophilum, 64.4 % for Theileria equi...
Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with recombinant antigens for the serodiagnosis of equine Babesia infections. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with recombinant protein as antigens were evaluated by comparison with the indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFAT) for the detection of specific antibodies to Babesia caballi and Babesia equi, respectively in 380 sera from experimentally infected, uninfected, and field horses. The high concordances of 92.4% (351/380) and 98.2% (373/380) between ELISA and IFAT for B. caballi and B. equi, respectively suggest that ELISA, especially for B. equi infection, could be alternative to the corresponding IFAT for serodiagnoses of equine piroplasmosis, alt...
Babesia–a historical overview. The history of the genus Babesia is briefly outlined. The classical differences with the main other genus of non-pigment-forming hemoparasites, Theileria, are the absence of extra-erythrocytic multiplication (schizogony) in Babesia and the cycle in the vector tick, which includes transovarial transmission in Babesia but only transstadial transmission in Theileria. Also, the multiplication in the red cell of Babesia, by budding, most often results in two daughter cells (merozoites), while that of Theileria gives four merozoites, often as a Maltese cross. In particular this means that what is st...
Development of specific immunoglobulin Ga (IgGa) and IgGb antibodies correlates with control of parasitemia in Babesia equi Infection. In this study, the kinetics of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotypes were characterized in Babesia equi (Theileria equi)-infected horses. IgGa and IgGb developed during acute infection, whereas IgG(T) was detected only after resolution of acute parasitemia. The same IgG isotype profile induced during acute infection was obtained by equi merozoite antigen 1/saponin immunization.
[A literature review of equine piroplasmosis after an episode of acute babesiosis in a Dutch Standardbred foal after a stay in Normandy]. Piroplasmosis, a disease endemic to most tropical and subtropical areas, appears to be spreading to more temperate zones. This article gives a review of equine piroplasmosis and describes an acute case of infection with Babesia caballi in a Dutch Standard bred foal after a short stay at a stud in Normandy (France). A 3-month-old stallion foal was presented with lethargy, fever of 41 degrees C, and pale mucosal membranes. Haematology revealed a low packed cell volume (14 l/l) leucytosis (25 G/l) and a high blood urea nitrogen concentration (20.1mmol/l). Infection with B. caballi was diagnosed o...
Ability of the vector tick Boophilus microplus to acquire and transmit Babesia equi following feeding on chronically infected horses with low-level parasitemia. The protozoan parasite Babesia equi replicates within erythrocytes. During the acute phase of infection, B. equi can reach high levels of parasitemia, resulting in a hemolytic crisis. Horses that recover from the acute phase of the disease remain chronically infected. Subsequent transmission is dependent upon the ability of vector ticks to acquire B. equi and, following development and replication, establishment of B. equi in the salivary glands. Although restriction of the movement of chronically infected horses with B. equi is based on the presumption that ticks can acquire and transmit the ...
Theileria (Babesia) equi and Babesia caballi infections in horses in Galicia, Spain. The control of equine piroplasmosis is becoming increasingly important to maintain the international market open to the horse industry. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) in Galicia, north-west Spain, and to compare haematological and serum biochemistry parameters between non-parasitaemic horses and horses parasitaemic with T. equi and B. caballi. Sixty serum samples (control group) were taken from healthy horses pastured on two farms, and examined for evidence of equine T. equi and B. caballi infection by in...
Development of a single-round and multiplex PCR method for the simultaneous detection of Babesia caballi and Babesia equi in horse blood. With the aim of developing more simple diagnostic alternatives, a differential single-round and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was designed for the simultaneous detection of Babesia caballi and Babesia equi, by targeting 18S ribosomal RNA genes. The multiplex PCR amplified DNA fragments of 540 and 392 bp from B. caballi and B. equi, respectively, in one reaction. The PCR method evaluated on 39 blood samples collected from domestic horses in Mongolia yielded similar results to those obtained from confirmative PCR methods that had been established earlier. Thus, the single-roun...
Molecular detection of Babesia equi in infected and carrier horses by polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-three blood samples were used in this study; five were from five naturally infected horses with Babesia equi (B. equi), while eighteen were from asymptomatic horses with equine babesiasis from different localities in Egypt. All samples were subjected to microscopic examination, indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The carrier animals were microscopically detected in 7 out of 18 samples (38.8%) and in 9 of 18 by using IFA (50%), whereas PCR revealed that 14 samples were positive (78%). Two synthetic oligonucleotide primers, based on the B. equi me...
Epidemiological study of equine piroplasmosis in Mongolia. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis in Mongolia, a country in which the disease occurs epidemically in different climatic conditions. Antibodies to Babesia equi and B. caballi were determined in serum samples of 254 pastured horses in different locations of Mongolia using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with recombinant antigens. One hundred and eighty-five (72.8%) and 102 (40.1%) of all serum samples were positive for B. equi and B. caballi infections, respectively. In addition, 78 (30.7%) samples were positive for both B. equi and B. cabal...
Detection and identification of equine Theileria and Babesia species by reverse line blotting: epidemiological survey and phylogenetic analysis. Specific oligonucleotide probes were designed to develop a new and highly sensitive reverse line blot assay to detect and identify simultaneously different Theileria and Babesia species in horses. The amplified hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene was hybridised against different generic and species-specific probes. The survey was conducted over 243 samples of equine blood divided into three different groups: group 1, 24 horses presented as possible clinical piroplasmosis; group 2, 181 clinically healthy free-ranging horses exposed to ticks; group 3, 38 riding horses with unrelated pat...
Development of an immunochromatographic test with recombinant EMA-2 for the rapid detection of antibodies against Babesia equi in horses. An immunochromatographic test (BeICT) for the rapid detection of antibodies against Babesia equi was developed. It clearly differentiated B. equi-infected horses from B. caballi-infected and uninfected horses. The agreement with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results was 96.7% in the detection of field sera. The results suggest that BeICT is rapid, simple, reliable, and suitable for use to detect B. equi infection in the field.
Seroepidemiologic studies on Babesia equi and Babesia caballi infections in horses in Jilin province of China. The prevalence of equine piroplasmosis caused by Babesia equi and Babesia caballi in northeast China has remained unknown, although the People's Republic of China is recognized as an endemic country for the diseases. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in Jilin province, a part of northeast China. A total of 111 serum samples were taken from horses in eastern Jilin, and examined for diagnosis of B. equi and B. caballi infections by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with recombinant antigens, equi merozoite antigen-1 and P48, respectively. Of the 11...
