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Home / Equine Research Bank / Ticks Tick Borne Dis / Characterization of Theileria equi genotypes in horses in Is...
Ticks and tick-borne diseases2017; 8(4); 499-505; doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.02.010

Characterization of Theileria equi genotypes in horses in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.

Abstract: Equine theileriosis caused by Theileria equi is endemic in the Middle East, where it causes a severe disease as well as widespread subclinical infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of T. equi genotypes in Israel and the neighboring Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Blood samples from 355 horses from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan were tested for the prevalence of T. equi DNA. Two hundred and fourteen (60%) were found positive for T. equi infection by PCR. Of those, the 18S rRNA (1458bp) and the EMA-1 (745bp) genes of T. equi were sequenced from 15 horse samples that represent Israel's geographical distribution together with four samples from the Palestinian Authority and two from Jordan. The results were used for genotype characterization and phylogenetic analysis of T. equi in the equine population in Israel and its surroundings. Three 18S rRNA genotype clades were found in Israel (A, C and D) with clade D being the most prevalent and included all four isolates from the PA. In contrast, the EMA-1 gene showed little diversity with all sequences clustering in the same clade apart from one Jordanian sequence. Results suggest that although the Israeli horse population is small and relatively confined geographically, it is probable that the genetic variability, which was found among Israeli horses, is a result of introduction of horses from other countries. It also suggests that the EMA-1 gene is probably not a good target for the evaluation of variance in T. equi populations. Characterization of the different genotypes prevalent in a certain region is important in order to map out the intra-species sequence heterogeneity of the parasite, which is needed in order to develop new diagnostic tools and vaccines.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2017-03-04 PubMed ID: 28286144DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.02.010Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article presents the study of the diversity of Theileria equi genotypes, a parasite causing equine theileriosis, in the horse populations of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. This study tests for the prevalence of T. equi infection and provides an understanding of the genetic variability, which could be helpful in devising new diagnostic methods and vaccines.

Methodology and Findings

  • The study involved the analysis of blood samples drawn from 355 horses hailing from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. These samples were tested for the prevalence of T. equi DNA.
  • Out of these, 60% or 214 samples were found positive for T. equi infection as confirmed by a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.
  • Two genes of T. equi, namely 18S rRNA (1458bp) and the EMA-1 (745bp), were sequenced from a representative sample set comprising of 15 horse samples selected based on Israel’s geographical distribution, four samples from the Palestinian Authority and two from Jordan.
  • The results pointed out that within Israel, three 18S rRNA genotype clades (A, C, and D) were found with clade D being the most prevalent. Furthermore, it was noted that all four isolates from the Palestinian Authority belonged to clade D.
  • In contrast, the EMA-1 gene demonstrated little diversity, revealing that most sequences belonged to the same clade, barring one sequence from Jordan.

Implications

  • The insight gained from the genetic variability among Israeli horses, despite a relatively small and geographically confined population, was suggested with the possibility that horses could have been introduced from other countries.
  • The study also indicated that the EMA-1 gene might not be an effective target for assessing variance in T. equi populations due to its minimal diversity.
  • Lastly, the research highlighted the importance of characterizing different genotypes prevalent in particular regions to map out the intra-species sequence heterogeneity of parasites such as T. equi. This process is vital for the development of new diagnostics tools and vaccines, which can provide more effective treatments and preventative measures for equine theileriosis.

Cite This Article

APA
Ketter-Ratzon D, Tirosh-Levy S, Nachum-Biala Y, Saar T, Qura'n L, Zivotofsky D, Abdeen Z, Baneth G, Steinman A. (2017). Characterization of Theileria equi genotypes in horses in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Ticks Tick Borne Dis, 8(4), 499-505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.02.010

Publication

Ticks and tick-borne diseases
ISSN: 1877-9603
NlmUniqueID: 101522599
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 8
Issue: 4
Pages: 499-505
PII: S1877-959X(17)30108-5

Researcher Affiliations

Ketter-Ratzon, Dafna
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Tirosh-Levy, Sharon
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Nachum-Biala, Yaarit
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Saar, Tal
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Qura'n, Lara
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Zivotofsky, Doni
  • Vet Practice, Mechalkey Hamayim 1, Jerusalem 93222, Israel.
Abdeen, Ziad
  • Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, P.O. Box 20760, Abu-Deis, Palestinian Authority.
Baneth, Gad
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Steinman, Amir
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel. Electronic address: amirst@savion.huji.ac.il.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Protozoan / genetics
  • Genotype
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / parasitology
  • Horses
  • Israel / epidemiology
  • Jordan / epidemiology
  • Middle East / epidemiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Prevalence
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / veterinary
  • Theileria / genetics
  • Theileriasis / epidemiology
  • Theileriasis / parasitology

Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
  1. Elsawy BSM, Nassar AM, Alzan HF, Bhoora RV, Ozubek S, Mahmoud MS, Kandil OM, Mahdy OA. Rapid Detection of Equine Piroplasms Using Multiplex PCR and First Genetic Characterization of Theileria haneyi in Egypt. Pathogens 2021 Oct 31;10(11).
    doi: 10.3390/pathogens10111414pubmed: 34832570google scholar: lookup
  2. Tirosh-Levy S, Mazuz ML, Savitsky I, Pinkas D, Gottlieb Y, Steinman A. Serological and Molecular Prevalence of Babesia caballi in Apparently Healthy Horses in Israel. Pathogens 2021 Apr 8;10(4).
    doi: 10.3390/pathogens10040445pubmed: 33917822google scholar: lookup
  3. Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Fry LM, Knowles DP, Steinman A. Twenty Years of Equine Piroplasmosis Research: Global Distribution, Molecular Diagnosis, and Phylogeny. Pathogens 2020 Nov 8;9(11).
    doi: 10.3390/pathogens9110926pubmed: 33171698google scholar: lookup
  4. Tirosh-Levy S, Steinman A, Levy H, Katz Y, Shtilman M, Gottlieb Y. Parasite load and genotype are associated with clinical outcome of piroplasm-infected equines in Israel. Parasit Vectors 2020 May 20;13(1):267.
    doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-04133-ypubmed: 32434550google scholar: lookup
  5. Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Mimoun L, Mazuz ML, Steinman A. Transplacental Transmission of Theileria equi Is Not a Common Cause of Abortions and Infection of Foals in Israel. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 21;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10020341pubmed: 32098113google scholar: lookup
  6. Sunday Idoko I, Tirosh-Levy S, Leszkowicz Mazuz M, Mohammed Adam B, Sikiti Garba B, Wesley Nafarnda D, Steinman A. Genetic Characterization of Piroplasms in Donkeys and Horses from Nigeria. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 18;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10020324pubmed: 32085574google scholar: lookup
  7. Azmi K, Al-Jawabreh A, Abdeen Z. Molecular Detection of Theileria ovis and Theleiria equi in Livestock from Palestine. Sci Rep 2019 Aug 9;9(1):11557.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-47965-0pubmed: 31399617google scholar: lookup
  8. Sant C, Allicock OM, d'Abadie R, Charles RA, Georges K. Phylogenetic analysis of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi sequences from thoroughbred mares and foals in Trinidad. Parasitol Res 2019 Apr;118(4):1171-1177.
    doi: 10.1007/s00436-019-06240-xpubmed: 30761425google scholar: lookup
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