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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.
Endochin-like quinolone-300 and ELQ-316 inhibit Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, B. caballi and Theileria equi. The most common apicomplexan parasites causing bovine babesiosis are Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, while B. caballi and Theileria equi are responsible for equine piroplasmosis. Treatment and control of these diseases are usually achieved using potentially toxic chemotherapeutics, such as imidocarb diproprionate, but drug-resistant parasites are emerging, and alternative effective and safer drugs are needed. The endochin-like quinolones (ELQ)-300 and ELQ-316 have been proven to be safe and efficacious against related apicomplexans, such as Plasmodium spp., with ELQ-316 also being effective aga...
Survey of Zoonotic and Non-zoonotic Vector-Borne Pathogens in Military Horses in Lisbon, Portugal. Vector-borne diseases of zoonotic and/or veterinary relevance have been increasingly reported in horses globally, although data regarding working and military horses is lacking. Portuguese military horses may constitute a risk group for these pathogens, as they frequently work outdoors in various regions of the country. This study included 101 apparently healthy horses belonging to the Portuguese National Republican Guard. Blood samples were analyzed to determine the presence and prevalence of piroplasms, Anaplasmataceae, Rickettsia spp., and filarioid helminths. Overall 32.7% of the horses ga...
Sero-molecular survey and risk factors of equine piroplasmosis in horses in Spain. Theileria equi and Babesia caballi cause equine piroplasmosis (EP), one of the most important tick-borne diseases of horses due to its high negative impact to the equine industry. Although infections with these parasites have been reported for decades in Spain, epidemiological studies have only been carried out in certain regions. Objective: To determine the (sero)prevalence of these parasites in asymptomatic horses nationwide in Spain and to identify potential individual and environmental factors associated with seropositivity to EP. Methods: Sample size was calculated according to the horses...
Occurrence of Trypanosoma spp. and piroplasm infections of horses at Obollo-Afor southeastern Nigeria and resistance profiles of trypanosomes to isometamidium and diminazene salts. Epidemiological data on trypanosomosis and piroplasmosis of horses are lacking in southeastern Nigeria. The prevalence of trypanosome and piroplasm infections in horses and resistance profile of isolated trypanosomes to diminazene and isometamidium salts were investigated. For the cross-sectional study of horses billed for slaughter, 304 horses were randomly sampled. Approximately 2 ml of blood was collected into anticoagulant-treated bottles for haematocrit (HCT) determination, direct microscopic examinations, and rat inoculation. Gender, body condition scores (BCS), age groups, and body wei...
Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Equine piroplasmosis in North Egypt. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is caused by Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi and has economic importance particularly in equines reared in poor management systems. This study is based on cELISA test to study the seroprevalence of EP among 370 horses and 150 donkeys in four Governorates north Egypt. Additionally, its risk factors were studied for the first time. The seroprevalence rates 36.5 %, 20 %, and 5.6 % for T. equi, B. caballi, and mixed infections, respectively. The highest antibody levels against T. equi were detected in Kafr ElSheikh (40 %) and Giza (40.1 %) Governorates, whereas thos...
First report of genetic diversity and risk factor analysis of equine piroplasm infection in equids in Jilin, China. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease of equids, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis represents a serious challenge to the equine industry due to important economic losses worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in equids from Jilin Province, China. Methods: A total of 220 blood samples (192 horses and 28 donkeys/mules) were collected from March 2018 to October 2019 in five districts of Jilin Province and analyzed by PCR. Potential risk factors, including the region, ...
An epidemiological survey of Theileria equi parasite in donkeys (Equus asinus) in Egypt. In the present study, we conducted an epidemiological survey of Theileria equi, with sequencing analysis of the PCR product using blood-DNA samples collected from donkeys (n = 149) reared in different Egyptian provinces in Lower Egypt (Menoufia and Mersa Matruh) and middle Egypt (Giza). All animals were tested for the presence of T. equi parasite using species-specific PCR assay targeting the Equi merozoite antigen-1 (EMA-1). Nine- (6.04%) samples were positive for T. equi. The highest positive rate for infection was detected in Giza zoological garden (10.16%). Egyptian EMA-1 gene sequence e...
Equine piroplasmosis: an insight into global exposure of equids from 1990 to 2019 by systematic review and meta-analysis. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease of economic importance, relevant in the international movement of equids. The causative agents are at least two apicomplexan protozoan parasites Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. To date, there is no study that estimates global and regional exposure of equids to EP. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence and heterogeneity of EP using random-effects model. Six electronic databases were searched for publications on EP and assessed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Revie...
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 ...
Identification and antigenicity of the Babesia caballi spherical body protein 4 (SBP4). The tick-borne intra-erythrocytic apicomplexan Babesia caballi is one of the etiological agents of equine babesiosis, an economically important disease of equids in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Discovering candidate antigens for improved diagnostic tools and vaccines remains needed for controlling equine babesiosis. This study describes the B. caballi sbp4 (Bcsbp4) gene and protein (BcSBP4) and analyzes its antigenicity in infected equids. Methods: BLAST searches of an uncurated B. caballi assembly genome using the B. bovis SBP4 as a query were carried out, followed by PCR...
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 (...
Molecular detection of Theileria species and Babesia caballi from horses in Nigeria. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an infectious, tick-borne disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites, Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and a recently reported new species, T. haneyi. Infections by these apicomplexan parasites limit performance and cause economic losses for the horse industry. Equine piroplasmosis is widespread in the northern regions of Nigeria, where an increasing portion of the animal population is composed of horses. This disease has remained epidemiologically challenging, especially as the movement of horses increases across Nigeria. In this study, blood samples from 300 h...
Detection of Theileria spp. in ticks, sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus), and livestock in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, China. Theileria species, with a broad geographic distribution, infect a wide range of both domestic and wild animals and are transmitted by ixodid ticks. Currently, there is no comprehensive report regarding the distribution of Theileria spp. in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, especially in Ganze Tibetan autonomous prefecture (153,700 km) and Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture (84,242 km) of Sichuan province, China. In this study, we collected blood samples from yaks (n = 144) (Bos grunniens), Tibetan sheep (n = 92), and Tibet horses (n = 142) in Ganze and Ngawa.Theileria sinen...
Molecular evidence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in equines and ticks in Nigeria: prevalence and risk factors analysis. Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are biological agents responsible for equine piroplasmosis (EP). We conducted a robust and extensive epidemiological study in Nigeria on the prevalence and risk factors of EP. Blood (468, both horses and donkeys) and ticks (201 pools) were screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA of equine piroplasms was observed in tick pools with B. caballi amplified in Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi only [minimum infection rate (MIR) of 7.6%] while T. equi was observed in R. e. evertsi (MIR, 61.6%), Hyalomma dromedarii (MIR, 23.7%) and H. truncatum (MIR, 50.0%). ...
Molecular Analysis and Risk Factors Associated With Theileria equi Infection in Domestic Donkeys and Mules of Punjab, Pakistan. Theileriosis is an important disease of economic significance which badly affects the equine husbandry of developing countries. The present study was planned to investigate the molecular prevalence of theileriosis, associated risk factors, and alterations in hematological parameters of donkeys and mules from district Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan. Blood samples from 150 equids (n = 75 donkeys; n = 75 mules) were examined microscopically, and the genomic DNA from each sample was processed for the amplification of the 18S rRNA gene of Theileria. The polymerase chain reaction confirmed isolates we...
The First Report of Serological Detection of Babesia caballi by cELISA in a Horse During Serological Survey of Piroplasmosis in Imported Horses at Shanghai Port, China. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in horses imported into Shanghai port. Between 2018 and 2019, 344 horse sera samples were collected and tested for B. caballi and T. equi, using commercially available kits. Only one B. caballi seropositive sample was detected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a B. caballi seropositive in imported horses at Shanghai port, which reflects the importance of monitoring piroplasmosis seroprevalence in imported horses.
Investigation of Ixodid ticks as vectors of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) in central Italy. Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are widely recognized as causative agents of equine pirolasmosis (EP), an acute, sub-acute, and chronic disease of equines, with relevant economic impact on horse trade worldwide. Although several studies on EP prevalence from central Italy have been published, data on ticks responsible for its transmission are still lacking. In this study, we identified a potential competent vector, investigating main features of its ecology together with EP infection rates. A two-year sampling of questing ticks was carried out for the first time in Italy in an area known fo...
Alterations of cardiac and renal biomarkers in horses naturally infected with theileria equi. Equine theileriosis due to Theileria equi is probably the most widespread and pathogenic disease of equines, which comes with major cardiac and renal complications. This study was undertaken to investigate the biomarkers of cardiac and renal functions in horses infected with T. equi and determine the association between these parameters and the level of parasitemia. Giemsa-stained blood smears from 300 horses with ages of 3-4 years old were examined for detection of T. equi on erythrocytes. Moreover, multiplex PCR was employed for confirmation of the diagnosis in the 28 positive cases. Based o...
Hematological and Biochemical Changes in Naturally Occurring Equine Piroplasmosis in Donkeys (Equus asinus) of Northwest of Iran. Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne protozoal disease affecting horses, mules, donkeys and zebras and can lead to severe economic losses in the equine industry. There is limited information on clinical pathologic changes of equine piroplasmosis in donkeys. This study aims to investigate the impacts of babesiosis on various hematological and biochemical properties in naturally infected donkeys with Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Methods: A total of 200 apparently healthy donkeys were randomly examined for the presence of equine piroplasmosis in blood samples. Of 200 samples, 11(5.5%) anim...
Parasite load and genotype are associated with clinical outcome of piroplasm-infected equines in Israel. Equine piroplasmosis is a highly endemic protozoan disease of horses worldwide, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. While most horses in endemic areas are subclinically infected, the mechanisms leading to clinical outcome are vastly unknown. Moreover, since clinical signs of disease are not specific, and the prevalence in endemic areas is high, it is difficult to determine if equine piroplasmosis is the cause of disease. To identify possible mechanisms leading to the clinical outcome in an endemic area, we compared parasite loads and genotypes in clinically and subclinically infected...
Equid infective Theileria cluster in distinct 18S rRNA gene clades comprising multiple taxa with unusually broad mammalian host ranges. Equine theileriosis, a tick-transmitted disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites Theileria equi and Theileria haneyi, affects equids throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a significant regulatory concern in non-endemic countries, where testing for equine theileriosis is required prior to horse import to prevent parasite entry. Within endemic areas, infection causes significant morbidity and mortality, leading to economic losses. No vaccine for equine theileriosis is available, and current drug treatment protocols are inconsistent and associated with significant s...
[Theileria equi-infection in 2 German horses returning from a trail ride in southern France]. Equine piroplasmosis, caused by the protozoan pathogens or , is endemic in many (sub-)tropical regions worldwide, including Southern Europe. In Germany, it mainly plays a role as an imported parasitosis. Nevetherless, tick species with known vector potential for equine piroplasms occur in Germany. Thus, a long-term establishment of autochthonous cycles after introduction via infected equids or ticks cannot be excluded. In the present case, 2 horses developed clinical infection after returning from a trail riding trip to southern France. During treatment, a feeding tick was discovered on one ...
Preparation of Monoclonal Antibody Against EMA-1 and Development of Rapid Serological Detection Method for Theileria equi Infection, Xinjiang, China. The erythrocytic-stage surface protein equi merozoite antigen 1 (EMA-1) of Theileria equi is a major candidate for the development of a diagnostic antigen for equine piroplasmosis. In this study, BALB/c mice were immunized with purified recombinant EMA-1 to prepare monoclonal antibody (mAb) against T. equi EMA-1, and 1 mAb 5H2 was obtained that showed good reaction with infected red blood cells (RBC) in the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). To develop a rapid serological detection method for T. equi infection in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, recombinant EMA-1 originating from...
Rapid isothermal duplex real-time recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a severe disease of horses caused by the tick-borne protozoa Theileria equi (T. equi) and Babesia caballi (B. caballi). Infectious carriers are not always symptomatic, meaning there is a risk to non-enzootic areas. Regulatory tests for EP include sero-epidemiological methods for equine babesiosis, but these lack specificity due to cross-reactivity with other Babesia species. In this study, we present a real-time quantitative recombinase polymerase amplification (qRPA) method for fast simultaneous detection of both T. equi and B. caballi. In this method, primers and...
Potential tick vectors for Theileria equi in Israel. Theileria equi Mehlhorn and Schein, 1998 (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae) is an important tick-borne pathogen of horses that is highly endemic in many parts of the world, including Israel. The present study evaluated the potential roles of five hard tick species [Hyalomma excavatum Koch, 1844; Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844; Rhipicephalus turanicus Pomerantsev 1936; Rhipicephalus annulatus Say, 1821; Haemaphysalis parva (Neumann, 1897) (all: Ixodida: Ixodidae)], previously found to infest horses in Israel, in acting as vectors for piroplasmosis. For this, DNA was extracted from whole ticks and, when...
Evaluation of cytokines and sialic acids contents in horses naturally infected with Theileria equi. This study was undertaken to assess the effects of T. equi infection on serum concentrations of some important cytokines including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-1α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12α, IL-12β, IL-18, as well as total, protein and lipid binding sialic acids (TSA, PBSA and LBSA). Furthermore, any probable relation among the parasitemia, cytokines and sialic acids (SAs) were calculated using Pearson correlation and simple linear regression. Almost 300 draft horses (Kurdish-breed) with age of 3-4 years old from north-...
Transplacental Transmission of Theileria equi Is Not a Common Cause of Abortions and Infection of Foals in Israel. Although the main route of transmission of is through tick feeding, transplacental transmission is also possible and may lead to abortion, or to the birth of a sick or carrier foal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of as a cause of abortions in Israel and the risk of foals being infected at a young age. Eight aborting mares were serologically evaluated for exposure to via the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and their aborted fetuses were evaluated using PCR and qPCR. In addition, five mares and their foals (aged 4-6 months) from a highly endemic farm were tested for i...
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...
Serological and molecular detection of selected hemoprotozoan parasites in donkeys in West Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan. In Sudan, donkeys are important animals, providing transportation and income possibilities. However, the prevalence of parasites in donkeys in Sudan has not been thoroughly characterized. Accordingly, in this study, we aimed to detect selected hemoprotozoan parasites in donkeys in West Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan, wherein people depend mainly on donkeys for their daily life. In total, 198 blood samples collected from donkeys in a local market in West Omdurman, were screened using serological and molecular diagnostic techniques. Serologically, 52 (26.3%), 56 (28.3%), and 19 (9.6%) samples w...
Analysis of Theileria equi diversity in The Gambia using a novel genotyping method. Theileria equi, one of the primary pathogens causing equine piroplasmosis, has previously been sub-classified into a number of clades on the basis of 18S SSU rRNA gene sequence diversity. This partitioning of the parasite population has potential implications for host immunity, treatment and vaccine development. To detect and identify different clade genotypes among and within individual equine blood samples, a novel PCR-based technique was designed and optimized. Theileria equi has only recently been described in The Gambia, and the developed genotyping technique was used to analyse blood sam...
