Trypanosoma is a genus of protozoan parasites that can infect horses, leading to a disease known as trypanosomiasis. These parasites are transmitted primarily through the bites of tsetse flies and other biting insects. In horses, trypanosomiasis can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, anemia, weight loss, and lethargy. The disease can affect various body systems, leading to significant health issues if not managed appropriately. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and management of Trypanosoma infections in equine species.
Jaimes-Dueñez J, Jiménez-Leaño Á, Enrique-Niño S, Arias-Landazábal N, Bedoya-Ríos M, Rangel-Pachón D.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...
Javanshir A, Tavassoli M, Esmaeilnejad B.Trypanosoma evansi, the causative agent of "surra" is enzootic in Iran. The current study aimed to detect T. evansi in horses from different regions of Iran using morphological, serological, and molecular methods. In 2021, 400 blood samples were collected from horses in eight regions. Eighty horses showed clinical signs such as cachexia (n = 64), fever (n = 36), foot edema (n = 40), and abdominal edema (n = 32), and 320 horses appeared healthy. All samples from the studied regions were evaluated for the presence of trypanosomes using direct analysis of blood smears, mercuric chloride, and PCR-...
Mesafint E, Dejene H, Maru M, Tarekegn ZS.We performed this review to determine the weighted prevalence of equids parasitic infections in Ethiopia. Article searches on parasites of equids were conducted using PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Sciences, Scopus, AJOLs and Research Gate. A random effects model was used to estimate the weighted prevalence and to study heterogeneity. The primary searches generated, 3082 potential studies, of which 66 reports met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. There were 32 reports involving two or more equids species, eighteen on donkeys, and six...
Gupta S, Vohra S, Sethi K, Gupta S, Bera BC, Kumar S, Kumar R.High cytotoxicity and increasing resistance reports of existing chemotherapeutic agents against T. evansi have raised the demand for novel, potent, and high therapeutic index molecules for the treatment of surra in animals. In this regard, repurposing approach of drug discovery has provided an opportunity to explore the therapeutic potential of existing drugs against new organism. With this objective, the macrocyclic lactone representative, ivermectin, has been investigated for the efficacy against T. evansi in the axenic culture medium. To elucidate the potential target of ivermectin in T. ev...
Gummery L, Jallow S, Raftery AG, Bennet E, Rodgers J, Sutton DGM.Infection of equids with Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) ssp. is of socioeconomic importance across sub-Saharan Africa as the disease often progresses to cause fatal meningoencephalitis. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has been developed as a cost-effective molecular diagnostic test and is potentially applicable for use in field-based laboratories. Threshold levels for T. brucei ssp. detection by LAMP were determined using whole equine blood specimens spiked with known concentrations of parasites. Results were compared to OIE antemortem gold standard of T. brucei-PCR (TBR-PCR). Th...
Vourchakbé J, Tiofack AAZ, Mbida M, Simo G.Equine trypanosomiases are complex infectious diseases with overlapping clinical signs defined by their mode of transmission. Despite their economic impacts, these diseases have been neglected by the scientific community, the veterinary authorities and regulatory organizations. To fill the observed knowledge gap, we undertook the identification of different trypanosome species and subspecies naturally infecting horses and donkeys within the Chadian sleeping sickness focus. The objective of the study was to investigate the potential role of these domestic animals as reservoirs of the human-infe...
Elata A, Mossaad E, Satti R, Matar N, Ohari Y, Xuan X, Inoue N, Suganuma K.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...
Yasine A, Ashenafi H, Geldhof P, Van Brantegem L, Vercauteren G, Bekana M, Tola A, Van Soom A, Duchateau L, Goddeeris B, Govaere J.Dourine, a venereal transmitted trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma equiperdum, has different clinical signs related to the reproductive and nervous system. Pathologic tissue changes associated with the disease are poorly described. The present study describes the histopathological lesions in naturally T. equiperdum-infected horses in the chronical stage of dourine. Results: Four chronically dourine diseased horses underwent a post-mortem examination. They were Woo test negative, but CATT/T. evansi positive, had a low packed cell volume (PCV) and exhibited obvious clinical signs of dourine. P...
Raftery AG, Jallow S, Rodgers J, Sutton DGM.Globally, working equines have a continued and growing socioeconomic role in supporting the livelihoods of between 300-600 million people in low income countries which is rarely recognised at a national or international level. Infectious diseases have significant impact on welfare and productivity in this population and equine trypanosomiasis is a priority disease due to its severity and prevalence. Strategies are required to improve the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of trypanosomiasis in equines and more data are required on the efficacy and safety of current trypanocidal dr...
Costa SCL, Freitas JS, Silva AND, Lacerda LC, Cruz RDS, Carvalho FS, Pereira MJS, Munhoz AD.The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and factors associated to Babesia caballi, Theileria equi and Trypanosoma evansi in naturally infected equids from the northeast Brazil. Blood samples from 569 equids (528 horses, 8 mules, and 33 donkeys) were collected and tested for the presence of DNA of each of these protozoan parasites by PCR. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate risk factors associated with the infection. The frequency of T. equi infection was 83.5% (475/569) - 84.3% in horses, and 73.2% in donkeys and mules. The results of the final model indicated that age...
Parra N, Jaume M, Boscán K, Hernández A, Mijares A, González M, Alvarado Y, Restrepo J.Trypanosoma equiperdum is the causative agent of dourine, a venereal disease in horses and donkeys. This parasite has a widely distribution, is found in Africa, Asia, Southern and Eastern Europe, Russia, Mexico and Venezuela. The T. equiperdum is morphologically indistinguishable to other Trypanozoon species, however differs from other mammalian trypanosomes due to the fact that it is primarily a tissue parasite, generating cutaneous plaques, swelling of genitalia and neurological signs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trypanocidal effectiveness of a set of derivatives of thiosemicar...
Parreira DR, Jansen AM, Abreu UG, Macedo GC, Silva AR, Mazur C, Andrade GB, Herrera HM.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and Trypanossoma evansi are endemic in Brazilian Pantanal Biome, an important area for livestock production. In this sense, we evaluated the epidemiological single and co-infection effects of T. evansi and EIAV in naturally infected horses in the southern Pantanal wetland by serological tests and hematological assays. Both higher seroprevalence and heath poor condition of the sampled animals were associated with differences in horse management between farms. We found that the negative animals for both infectious agents (NN) represented the major group in F...
Manuja A, Kumar P, Kumar R, Kumar B, Singha H, Sharma RK, Yadav SC.Trypanosoma evansi is the causative agent of surra, which is the most common and widespread trypansomal disease. The infection is mainly restricted to animals, but it has also been documented in human. Trypanosomes possess the thick immunogenic surface coat known as variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The parasite modifies the VSG constantly resulting in continuous antigenic variations and thus evades the host immune response. Due to antigenic variations, vaccination against trypanosomosis is not useful. Therefore, alternate strategies to augment the immune response are required. CpG-ODN class...
Ranjithkumar M, Saravanan BC, Yadav SC, Kumar R, Singh R, Dey S.Trypanosoma evansi infection typically produces wasting disease, but it can also develop into a neurological or meningoencephalitis form in equids. Trypanosomiasis in horses was treated with quinapyramine sulfate, and all the 14 infected animals were recovered clinically. After clinical recovery, four animals developed a neurological form of the disease at various intervals. Two of these animals treated with diminazene aceturate recovered temporarily. Repeated attempts failed to find the parasite in the blood or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but all of the animals were positive in enzyme-link...
Desquesnes M, Holzmuller P, Lai DH, Dargantes A, Lun ZR, Jittaplapong S.Trypanosoma evansi, the agent of "surra," is a salivarian trypanosome, originating from Africa. It is thought to derive from Trypanosoma brucei by deletion of the maxicircle kinetoplastic DNA (genetic material required for cyclical development in tsetse flies). It is mostly mechanically transmitted by tabanids and stomoxes, initially to camels, in sub-Saharan area. The disease spread from North Africa towards the Middle East, Turkey, India, up to 53° North in Russia, across all South-East Asia, down to Indonesia and the Philippines, and it was also introduced by the conquistadores into Latin ...
Luciani M, Di Pancrazio C, Di Febo T, Tittarelli M, Podaliri Vulpiani M, Puglielli MO, Naessens J, Sacchini F.Diagnosis and control of dourine is strongly based on serological evidence, but knowledge of the humoral response of horses during infection is limited. In this study we developed a chemiluminescent immunoblotting (cIB) assay to characterise the Trypanosoma equiperdum antigen pattern recognised by IgGs from naturally or experimentally dourine-infected horses and analyse the kinetics of IgG humoral response following the infection. One compounding factor is that sera from uninfected animals often cross-react with T. equiperdum antigens. Development of the cIB assay was based on the hypothesis t...
Ranjithkumar M, Malik TA, Saxena A, Dan A, Sakthivel PC, Dey S.Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi commonly produces wasting disease with signs of emaciation and cachexia mainly at the end stage. The present study was conducted to explore the possible hyperlipaemia or hyperlipidaemia and its association with cachexia-anorexia in equine trypanosomiasis. Out of the fifteen confirmed animals, none of the plasma sample was opaque. There was a significant increase in plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen and a highly significant increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. A mild increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)...
Ehizibolo DO, Kamani J, Ehizibolo PO, Egwu KO, Dogo GI, Salami-Shinaba JO.This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and significance of parasites of horses in northern Nigeria. Blood and faecal samples were randomly collected from 243 horses from different stables in some states of northern Nigeria for laboratory analyses. Fifty-seven horses (23.5%) were found infected with parasites. The hemoparasites detected, 21 (8.6%), include Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma evansi. The endoparasites encountered, 29 (11.9%) were Strongylus spp., Strongyloides spp., Oxyuris equi, Parascaris equorum, Paragonimus spp. and Dicrocoelium s...
Berlin D, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Ereqat S, Abdeen Z, Eyal O, Baneth G.Trypanosoma evansi is the cause of surra in horses, camels and other domestic animals. Following the first outbreak of surra in horses and camels in Israel in 2006, a survey of the prevalence of the parasite in the Israeli horse population was conducted using serology, PCR followed by the reverse dot blot (RDB) technique and blood smear microscopy. In total, 614 horses from 7 regions were sampled. The CATT/T. evansi kit was used for serology for all the horses. Horses from the Arava and Dead Sea region, where the first outbreak occurred, were sampled again one year later and both samples were ...
Ranjithkumar M, Kamili NM, Saxena A, Dan A, Dey S, Raut SS.Oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium disturbance has already been reported in trypanosome infections by several authors. The present study was aimed to explore the possible oxidant/antioxidant disturbance in surra of naturally infected horses before and after treatment. Fifteen naturally infected horses were chosen to analyse erythrocytic indices, platelet counts, lipid peroxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) while six healthy animals acted as control. There was a highly significant (P<0.001) reduction in red blood cell (RBC) c...
Berlin D, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Ereqat S, Abdeen Z, Baneth G.An outbreak of trypanosomoasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi involving horses, camels and donkeys occurred in a farm in Israel. A longitudinal study of two outbreak phases was conducted which included clinical monitoring, blood smears, packed cell volume (PCV), serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse dot blot (RDB) for the molecular detection of infection. This was the first reported T. evansi outbreak in domestic animals in Israel. Most of the camels on the farm (8/10; 80%) were diagnosed with T. evansi infection whereas infection was less prevalent in the horses (3/7;...
Hagos A, Goddeeris BM, Yilkal K, Alemu T, Fikru R, Yacob HT, Feseha G, Claes F.Trypanocidal sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of Diminazene diaceturate (Diminasan) and Bis (aminoethylthio) 4-melaminophenylarsine dihydrochloride (Cymelarsan) against Trypanosoma equiperdum (isolated from two mares with chronic cases of dourine) 713/943 and 834/940 Dodola strains in experimentally infected mice and horses. Diminasan at doses from 3.5 mg/kg to 28 mg/kg and Cymelarsan at doses of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg body weight failed to cure any of the mice, indicating a clear dose dependent relationship in the mean time of relapse observed in mice. Indeed, mice ...
Lemos KR, Marques LC, Deaquino LP, Alessi AC, Machado RZ.An histochemical and immunohistochemical study was carried out to evaluate the mechanisms of immune response of horses experimentally infected by Trypanosoma evansi. For this purpose the HE histochemical stain and the avidin biotin peroxidase method were used. To determine the presence and immunoreactivity of immune cells we used anti-major histocompatibility complex II antibodies. Cellular infiltration phenotype was characterized with the aid of anti-CD3 antibody for T lymphocytes and by anti-BLA 36 antibodies for B lymphocytes. Macrophages were marked with an antibody against myeloid/histyoc...
Monzon CM, Mancebo OA, Russo AM.An ELISA test was used to determine the persistence of antibody levels in horses following treatment for Trypanosoma evansi. In 17 horses with T. evansi from two farms treated and cured with quinapyramine sulphate, ELISA antibody levels fell progressively post-treatment, but remained with positive results for 22.6 months in one horse, 12.8 months in a second, 4.1 months in another four and 2.3 months in three, whilst the rest became negative at 2.3 months. In two horses that suffered a post-treatment infection relapse the decrease in ELISA levels was only temporary, and a new increase in antib...
Katz J, Dewald R, Nicholson J.Procedurally similar competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (cELISA) methods were developed for the serodiagnosis of Babesia equi and Babesia caballi (piroplasmosis), Trypanosoma equiperdum (dourine), and Burkholderia mallei (glanders) infections in horses. Apparent test specificities for the B. equi, B. caballi, T. equiperdum, and B. mallei cELISAs were 99.2%, 99.5%, 98.9%, and 98.9%, respectively. Concordances and kappa values between the complement fixation (CF) and the cELISA procedures for the serodiagnosis of B. equi, B. caballi, T. equiperdum, and B. mallei infections in experimentally e...
Monzón CM, Hoyos CB, Jara GA.Tests on 257 blood samples from 21 herds of horses in Formosa Province of Argentina, using the technique of centrifuging microhaematocrit capillary tubes, revealed Trypanosoma evansi in 90 of 137 animals in eight herds. Application of the direct agglutination test to serum samples from the same animals revealed antibodies to T. evansi in 107 horses. Antibody was also detected in nine horses from two herds where the parasite was not detected. Outbreaks of 'mal de caderas' occurred in the humid (eastern) and sub-humid (central) zones of Formosa. More than 95% of the equine population of the prov...
Kihurani DO, Nantulya VM, Mbiuki SM, Mogoa E, Nguhiu-Mwangi J, Mbithi PM.Equines are particularly susceptible to infection with Trypanosoma evansi and T. brucei, but rarely is natural T. congolense and T. vivax infection seen in horses. An outbreak of trypanosomosis occurred in a herd of horses used for patrolling the pineapple fields on the Del Monte Farm, Thika, Kenya initially involving 6 horses. On subsequent screening of the entire group, T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax infections were detected in 16 of the 35 horses. The tests used for diagnosis included microscopic examination of stained blood smears, buffy coat technique, mouse inoculation and antigen...
Lun ZR, Fang Y, Wang CJ, Brun R.Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi (surra) is a problem of great economic importance in livestock in China because it affects important working animals: buffaloes in the south and east, and horses and cattle in the north and west. In addition, buffaloes are an important source of meat and leather for the Chinese population. In the north and west, T. evansi is found mainly in camels, whereas in the east, the south and the southwest, it is primarily buffaloes, cattle and horses that are affected by this parasitic flagellate. Although trypanosomiasis is one of the most important parasit...
Monzón CM, Villavicencio VI.The serum protein pattern in guinea-pigs infected with T. evansi was analysed and compared with those found in horses with either a natural or experimental infection. In both species, a highly significant decrease in albumin levels and an increase in gamma-globulins were seen, leading to a very low albumin/globulin ratio. No significant differences in total protein levels between healthy and infected animals were registered. Likewise, alpha-globulins were not significantly affected. A decrease in beta-globulins was observed in one horse and in guinea-pigs with experimental infection, while in ...
Dieleman EF.This review describes research conducted from 1900-1983 on trypanosomiasis due to Trypanosoma evansi in Indonesia. Clinical signs and post-mortem findings in horses, cattle, buffaloes, pigs and dogs, experimental transmission tests to establish possible surra vectors in Indonesia, and research on chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis are discussed.
Desquesnes M, Holzmuller P, Lai DH, Dargantes A, Lun ZR, Jittaplapong S.Trypanosoma evansi, the agent of "surra," is a salivarian trypanosome, originating from Africa. It is thought to derive from Trypanosoma brucei by deletion of the maxicircle kinetoplastic DNA (genetic material required for cyclical development in tsetse flies). It is mostly mechanically transmitted by tabanids and stomoxes, initially to camels, in sub-Saharan area. The disease spread from North Africa towards the Middle East, Turkey, India, up to 53° North in Russia, across all South-East Asia, down to Indonesia and the Philippines, and it was also introduced by the conquistadores into Latin ...
Hagos A, Goddeeris BM, Yilkal K, Alemu T, Fikru R, Yacob HT, Feseha G, Claes F.Trypanocidal sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of Diminazene diaceturate (Diminasan) and Bis (aminoethylthio) 4-melaminophenylarsine dihydrochloride (Cymelarsan) against Trypanosoma equiperdum (isolated from two mares with chronic cases of dourine) 713/943 and 834/940 Dodola strains in experimentally infected mice and horses. Diminasan at doses from 3.5 mg/kg to 28 mg/kg and Cymelarsan at doses of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg body weight failed to cure any of the mice, indicating a clear dose dependent relationship in the mean time of relapse observed in mice. Indeed, mice ...
Lun ZR, Fang Y, Wang CJ, Brun R.Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi (surra) is a problem of great economic importance in livestock in China because it affects important working animals: buffaloes in the south and east, and horses and cattle in the north and west. In addition, buffaloes are an important source of meat and leather for the Chinese population. In the north and west, T. evansi is found mainly in camels, whereas in the east, the south and the southwest, it is primarily buffaloes, cattle and horses that are affected by this parasitic flagellate. Although trypanosomiasis is one of the most important parasit...
Ehizibolo DO, Kamani J, Ehizibolo PO, Egwu KO, Dogo GI, Salami-Shinaba JO.This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and significance of parasites of horses in northern Nigeria. Blood and faecal samples were randomly collected from 243 horses from different stables in some states of northern Nigeria for laboratory analyses. Fifty-seven horses (23.5%) were found infected with parasites. The hemoparasites detected, 21 (8.6%), include Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma evansi. The endoparasites encountered, 29 (11.9%) were Strongylus spp., Strongyloides spp., Oxyuris equi, Parascaris equorum, Paragonimus spp. and Dicrocoelium s...
Berlin D, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Ereqat S, Abdeen Z, Baneth G.An outbreak of trypanosomoasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi involving horses, camels and donkeys occurred in a farm in Israel. A longitudinal study of two outbreak phases was conducted which included clinical monitoring, blood smears, packed cell volume (PCV), serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse dot blot (RDB) for the molecular detection of infection. This was the first reported T. evansi outbreak in domestic animals in Israel. Most of the camels on the farm (8/10; 80%) were diagnosed with T. evansi infection whereas infection was less prevalent in the horses (3/7;...
Ranjithkumar M, Saravanan BC, Yadav SC, Kumar R, Singh R, Dey S.Trypanosoma evansi infection typically produces wasting disease, but it can also develop into a neurological or meningoencephalitis form in equids. Trypanosomiasis in horses was treated with quinapyramine sulfate, and all the 14 infected animals were recovered clinically. After clinical recovery, four animals developed a neurological form of the disease at various intervals. Two of these animals treated with diminazene aceturate recovered temporarily. Repeated attempts failed to find the parasite in the blood or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but all of the animals were positive in enzyme-link...
Monzon CM, Mancebo OA, Russo AM.An ELISA test was used to determine the persistence of antibody levels in horses following treatment for Trypanosoma evansi. In 17 horses with T. evansi from two farms treated and cured with quinapyramine sulphate, ELISA antibody levels fell progressively post-treatment, but remained with positive results for 22.6 months in one horse, 12.8 months in a second, 4.1 months in another four and 2.3 months in three, whilst the rest became negative at 2.3 months. In two horses that suffered a post-treatment infection relapse the decrease in ELISA levels was only temporary, and a new increase in antib...
Raftery AG, Jallow S, Rodgers J, Sutton DGM.Globally, working equines have a continued and growing socioeconomic role in supporting the livelihoods of between 300-600 million people in low income countries which is rarely recognised at a national or international level. Infectious diseases have significant impact on welfare and productivity in this population and equine trypanosomiasis is a priority disease due to its severity and prevalence. Strategies are required to improve the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of trypanosomiasis in equines and more data are required on the efficacy and safety of current trypanocidal dr...
Katz J, Dewald R, Nicholson J.Procedurally similar competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (cELISA) methods were developed for the serodiagnosis of Babesia equi and Babesia caballi (piroplasmosis), Trypanosoma equiperdum (dourine), and Burkholderia mallei (glanders) infections in horses. Apparent test specificities for the B. equi, B. caballi, T. equiperdum, and B. mallei cELISAs were 99.2%, 99.5%, 98.9%, and 98.9%, respectively. Concordances and kappa values between the complement fixation (CF) and the cELISA procedures for the serodiagnosis of B. equi, B. caballi, T. equiperdum, and B. mallei infections in experimentally e...
Berlin D, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Ereqat S, Abdeen Z, Eyal O, Baneth G.Trypanosoma evansi is the cause of surra in horses, camels and other domestic animals. Following the first outbreak of surra in horses and camels in Israel in 2006, a survey of the prevalence of the parasite in the Israeli horse population was conducted using serology, PCR followed by the reverse dot blot (RDB) technique and blood smear microscopy. In total, 614 horses from 7 regions were sampled. The CATT/T. evansi kit was used for serology for all the horses. Horses from the Arava and Dead Sea region, where the first outbreak occurred, were sampled again one year later and both samples were ...
Costa SCL, Freitas JS, Silva AND, Lacerda LC, Cruz RDS, Carvalho FS, Pereira MJS, Munhoz AD.The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and factors associated to Babesia caballi, Theileria equi and Trypanosoma evansi in naturally infected equids from the northeast Brazil. Blood samples from 569 equids (528 horses, 8 mules, and 33 donkeys) were collected and tested for the presence of DNA of each of these protozoan parasites by PCR. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate risk factors associated with the infection. The frequency of T. equi infection was 83.5% (475/569) - 84.3% in horses, and 73.2% in donkeys and mules. The results of the final model indicated that age...
Ranjithkumar M, Kamili NM, Saxena A, Dan A, Dey S, Raut SS.Oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium disturbance has already been reported in trypanosome infections by several authors. The present study was aimed to explore the possible oxidant/antioxidant disturbance in surra of naturally infected horses before and after treatment. Fifteen naturally infected horses were chosen to analyse erythrocytic indices, platelet counts, lipid peroxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) while six healthy animals acted as control. There was a highly significant (P<0.001) reduction in red blood cell (RBC) c...
Parreira DR, Jansen AM, Abreu UG, Macedo GC, Silva AR, Mazur C, Andrade GB, Herrera HM.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and Trypanossoma evansi are endemic in Brazilian Pantanal Biome, an important area for livestock production. In this sense, we evaluated the epidemiological single and co-infection effects of T. evansi and EIAV in naturally infected horses in the southern Pantanal wetland by serological tests and hematological assays. Both higher seroprevalence and heath poor condition of the sampled animals were associated with differences in horse management between farms. We found that the negative animals for both infectious agents (NN) represented the major group in F...
Vourchakbé J, Tiofack AAZ, Mbida M, Simo G.Equine trypanosomiases are complex infectious diseases with overlapping clinical signs defined by their mode of transmission. Despite their economic impacts, these diseases have been neglected by the scientific community, the veterinary authorities and regulatory organizations. To fill the observed knowledge gap, we undertook the identification of different trypanosome species and subspecies naturally infecting horses and donkeys within the Chadian sleeping sickness focus. The objective of the study was to investigate the potential role of these domestic animals as reservoirs of the human-infe...
Ranjithkumar M, Malik TA, Saxena A, Dan A, Sakthivel PC, Dey S.Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi commonly produces wasting disease with signs of emaciation and cachexia mainly at the end stage. The present study was conducted to explore the possible hyperlipaemia or hyperlipidaemia and its association with cachexia-anorexia in equine trypanosomiasis. Out of the fifteen confirmed animals, none of the plasma sample was opaque. There was a significant increase in plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen and a highly significant increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. A mild increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)...
Yasine A, Ashenafi H, Geldhof P, Van Brantegem L, Vercauteren G, Bekana M, Tola A, Van Soom A, Duchateau L, Goddeeris B, Govaere J.Dourine, a venereal transmitted trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma equiperdum, has different clinical signs related to the reproductive and nervous system. Pathologic tissue changes associated with the disease are poorly described. The present study describes the histopathological lesions in naturally T. equiperdum-infected horses in the chronical stage of dourine. Results: Four chronically dourine diseased horses underwent a post-mortem examination. They were Woo test negative, but CATT/T. evansi positive, had a low packed cell volume (PCV) and exhibited obvious clinical signs of dourine. P...
Elata A, Mossaad E, Satti R, Matar N, Ohari Y, Xuan X, Inoue N, Suganuma K.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...
Kihurani DO, Nantulya VM, Mbiuki SM, Mogoa E, Nguhiu-Mwangi J, Mbithi PM.Equines are particularly susceptible to infection with Trypanosoma evansi and T. brucei, but rarely is natural T. congolense and T. vivax infection seen in horses. An outbreak of trypanosomosis occurred in a herd of horses used for patrolling the pineapple fields on the Del Monte Farm, Thika, Kenya initially involving 6 horses. On subsequent screening of the entire group, T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax infections were detected in 16 of the 35 horses. The tests used for diagnosis included microscopic examination of stained blood smears, buffy coat technique, mouse inoculation and antigen...
Manuja A, Kumar P, Kumar R, Kumar B, Singha H, Sharma RK, Yadav SC.Trypanosoma evansi is the causative agent of surra, which is the most common and widespread trypansomal disease. The infection is mainly restricted to animals, but it has also been documented in human. Trypanosomes possess the thick immunogenic surface coat known as variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The parasite modifies the VSG constantly resulting in continuous antigenic variations and thus evades the host immune response. Due to antigenic variations, vaccination against trypanosomosis is not useful. Therefore, alternate strategies to augment the immune response are required. CpG-ODN class...
Barrowman PR.This paper is a record of observations on the transmission and clinical signs of dourine in naturally infected cases of known duration, and of temporal and quantitative aspects of the immune response in blood and cerebro-spinal fluid. Included in the record are observations on the presence of Trypanosoma equiperdum parasites in these body fluids and methods for their detection. There is evidence that the occurrence of nervous symptoms and lesions in infected horses is associated with the presence of Trypanosoma equiperdum parasites in cerebro-spinal fluid. The suitability of cerebro-spinal flu...
Monzón CM, Hoyos CB, Jara GA.Tests on 257 blood samples from 21 herds of horses in Formosa Province of Argentina, using the technique of centrifuging microhaematocrit capillary tubes, revealed Trypanosoma evansi in 90 of 137 animals in eight herds. Application of the direct agglutination test to serum samples from the same animals revealed antibodies to T. evansi in 107 horses. Antibody was also detected in nine horses from two herds where the parasite was not detected. Outbreaks of 'mal de caderas' occurred in the humid (eastern) and sub-humid (central) zones of Formosa. More than 95% of the equine population of the prov...
Javanshir A, Tavassoli M, Esmaeilnejad B.Trypanosoma evansi, the causative agent of "surra" is enzootic in Iran. The current study aimed to detect T. evansi in horses from different regions of Iran using morphological, serological, and molecular methods. In 2021, 400 blood samples were collected from horses in eight regions. Eighty horses showed clinical signs such as cachexia (n = 64), fever (n = 36), foot edema (n = 40), and abdominal edema (n = 32), and 320 horses appeared healthy. All samples from the studied regions were evaluated for the presence of trypanosomes using direct analysis of blood smears, mercuric chloride, and PCR-...
Gummery L, Jallow S, Raftery AG, Bennet E, Rodgers J, Sutton DGM.Infection of equids with Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) ssp. is of socioeconomic importance across sub-Saharan Africa as the disease often progresses to cause fatal meningoencephalitis. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has been developed as a cost-effective molecular diagnostic test and is potentially applicable for use in field-based laboratories. Threshold levels for T. brucei ssp. detection by LAMP were determined using whole equine blood specimens spiked with known concentrations of parasites. Results were compared to OIE antemortem gold standard of T. brucei-PCR (TBR-PCR). Th...
Monzón CM, Villavicencio VI.The serum protein pattern in guinea-pigs infected with T. evansi was analysed and compared with those found in horses with either a natural or experimental infection. In both species, a highly significant decrease in albumin levels and an increase in gamma-globulins were seen, leading to a very low albumin/globulin ratio. No significant differences in total protein levels between healthy and infected animals were registered. Likewise, alpha-globulins were not significantly affected. A decrease in beta-globulins was observed in one horse and in guinea-pigs with experimental infection, while in ...
Luciani M, Di Pancrazio C, Di Febo T, Tittarelli M, Podaliri Vulpiani M, Puglielli MO, Naessens J, Sacchini F.Diagnosis and control of dourine is strongly based on serological evidence, but knowledge of the humoral response of horses during infection is limited. In this study we developed a chemiluminescent immunoblotting (cIB) assay to characterise the Trypanosoma equiperdum antigen pattern recognised by IgGs from naturally or experimentally dourine-infected horses and analyse the kinetics of IgG humoral response following the infection. One compounding factor is that sera from uninfected animals often cross-react with T. equiperdum antigens. Development of the cIB assay was based on the hypothesis t...
Mesafint E, Dejene H, Maru M, Tarekegn ZS.We performed this review to determine the weighted prevalence of equids parasitic infections in Ethiopia. Article searches on parasites of equids were conducted using PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Sciences, Scopus, AJOLs and Research Gate. A random effects model was used to estimate the weighted prevalence and to study heterogeneity. The primary searches generated, 3082 potential studies, of which 66 reports met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. There were 32 reports involving two or more equids species, eighteen on donkeys, and six...
