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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Clinical investigation on Theileria equi and Babesia caballi...
BMC veterinary research2015; 11; 100; doi: 10.1186/s12917-015-0411-z

Clinical investigation on Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in Italian donkeys.

Abstract: Interest in the welfare and diseases of donkeys is constantly increasing in several countries. Despite this, clinical research into donkeys needs to be in continual development since they show different reactions compared to horses in many conditions, including infectious diseases, and need specific clinical and therapeutic approaches. No reports are currently available on clinical and clinical pathology data regarding donkeys with natural piroplasms infection. Results: Venous blood samples were taken from one hundred and thirty eight donkeys and underwent indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) to detect IgG antibodies against Theileria equi and Babesia caballi and real-time polimerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. Clinical examinations, haematological analyses and serum bilirubin evaluation were also performed and compared with positive or negative status. A seroprevalence of 40.6% and 47.8% was found for T. equi and B. caballi, respectively; double positivity was detected in 19.6% of the animals. PCR results showed that 17.4% of the animals tested positive for T.equi and 3.6% for B. caballi with no double positivity. Twelve donkeys (8.7%) had clinical signs consistent with chronic forms of the disease and no acute forms were detected. Fifty-eight donkeys had haematological and serum bilirubin alterations and 56 (96.6%) of them were IFAT and/or PCR positive. Changes in erythrocyte number, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, platelets number and total bilirubin were significantly associated with positive and symptomatic animals. Conclusions: Nonspecific clinical presentation seems to be very common in donkeys and several clinical pathology alterations persist after natural infection. Therefore, apparently healthy donkeys can have masked but severe clinical pathology alterations. Acute forms are very seldom observed in donkeys. Clinical monitoring of chronically infected donkeys is recommended since such animals represent a risk both for transmission to other animals and for their own health; furthermore, their production performances could be reduced. The study should also be intended as a contribution for veterinary practitioners because it describes the most usual clinical presentations and laboratory findings of equine piroplasmosis in naturally infected donkeys in endemic areas.
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Publication Date: 2015-04-28 PubMed ID: 25927984PubMed Central: PMC4410693DOI: 10.1186/s12917-015-0411-zGoogle 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 investigates the impacts and prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections, known as piroplasms, in donkeys in Italy. It reveals that donkeys can experience severe health issues from these infections, which may not be immediately obvious and can compromise their welfare and productivity.

Objectives and Methods

  • This research was launched to study the impacts of piroplasms infections such as Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in donkeys, as the scientific community has little data on these particular cases.
  • The study examined diverse symptoms and health issues from the infections, drawing blood samples from 138 donkeys to check for antibodies against these infections.
  • Methods used include indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the presence of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. Additional health diagnostics such as clinical examinations, haematological analyses and serum bilirubin evaluation were also performed.

Findings

  • Tests results showed a prevalence of 40.6% for Theileria equi and 47.8% for Babesia caballi, with 19.6% of the animals showing double positivity.
  • PCR results indicated 17.4% tested positive for Theileria equi and 3.6% for Babesia caballi. No cases of double positivity were found in these tests.
  • Chronic signs of the infections were found in 8.7% of the donkeys while no acute cases were identified.
  • 58 donkeys exhibited haematological and serum bilirubin anomalies and most (96.6%) were IFAT and/or PCR positive.
  • Changes in erythrocyte number, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, platelets number and total bilirubin were all significantly related with positive and symptomatic animals.

Conclusions

  • Interestingly, these infections often displayed nonspecific clinical symptoms in donkeys, meaning many severely affected animals may appear healthy at a glance. This stealthiness poses a risk to the health of other animals and affects productivity.
  • Specifically, acute forms of the diseases were rarely observed in donkeys but chronic states were more common, necessitating regular monitoring of infected donkeys.
  • The findings contribute valuable knowledge for the diagnosis and treatment of equine piroplasmosis in donkeys for veterinary practitioners, particularly in endemic regions.

Cite This Article

APA
Laus F, Spaterna A, Faillace V, Veronesi F, Ravagnan S, Beribé F, Cerquetella M, Meligrana M, Tesei B. (2015). Clinical investigation on Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in Italian donkeys. BMC Vet Res, 11, 100. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-015-0411-z

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 11
Pages: 100
PII: 100

Researcher Affiliations

Laus, Fulvio
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. fulvio.laus@unicam.it.
Spaterna, Andrea
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. andrea.spaterna@unicam.it.
Faillace, Vanessa
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. vanessa.faillace@hotmail.it.
Veronesi, Fabrizia
  • Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, 06100, Perugia, Italy. fabrizia.veronesi@unipg.it.
Ravagnan, Silvia
  • Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020, Legnaro, (PD), Italy. sravagnan@izsvenezie.it.
Beribé, Francesca
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. francesca.beribe@unicam.it.
Cerquetella, Matteo
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. matteo.cerquetella@unicam.it.
Meligrana, Marina
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. marina.meligrana@hotmail.it.
Tesei, Beniamino
  • Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024, Matelica, (MC), Italy. beniamino.tesei@unicam.it.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
  • Babesia / classification
  • Babesiosis / epidemiology
  • Babesiosis / parasitology
  • Equidae
  • Female
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Theileria / classification
  • Theileriasis / epidemiology
  • Theileriasis / parasitology

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This article has been cited 21 times.
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