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Home / Equine Research Bank / Ticks Tick Borne Dis / Diagnosis of Theileria equi infections in horses in the Azor...
Ticks and tick-borne diseases2013; 4(3); 242-245; doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.11.008

Diagnosis of Theileria equi infections in horses in the Azores using cELISA and nested PCR.

Abstract: Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease of equids that is often caused by the parasite Theileria equi. We applied competitive ELISA (cELISA) and nested PCR diagnostic methods to detect this parasite in horses by screening 162 samples from mainland Portugal where the parasite is endemic, and 143 from the Azores representing both native and imported horse populations. We found that 2.8% of the Azorean samples tested positive exclusively by cELISA, 1.4% tested positive only by nested PCR, and 9.1% tested positive using both tests. Samples from the native Terceira Pony population were negative for both tests. The parasite was more prevalent in samples from mainland Portugal when both test methods were considered (9.3% positive exclusively by cELISA, 1.9% positive exclusively by nested PCR, and 16.7% positive for both tests). To our knowledge, this is the first time that molecular techniques have been used to detect T. equi in the Azores and the first report of this parasite in the archipelago. Based on this study, it is clear that the import of horses into the Azores and the movement of horses between the islands must be controlled to reduce the risk of new infections, contributing to the protection of native horse populations such as the Terceira Pony population.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2013-01-19 PubMed ID: 23337492DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.11.008Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The research article discusses a study conducted to detect the presence of parasite Theileria equi in horses in Portugal and Azores, using cELISA and nested PCR diagnostic methods. Interestingly, no parasites were detected in the native Terceira Pony population in Azores.

Research Context and Methodology

  • The authors of the study focused on Equine piroplasmosis, a disease that affects horses and is often caused by the parasite Theileria equi.
  • The research centered on two geographic locations: mainland Portugal, where the disease is endemic, and the Azores, comprising both native and imported horse populations.
  • The researchers conducted their study by screening a total of 305 samples – 162 from mainland Portugal and 143 from the Azores.
  • They employed two diagnostic methods for the study: the competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (cELISA) and the nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (nested PCR).

Research Findings

  • For the Azorean samples, results showed that 2.8% tested positive exclusively by cELISA, 1.4% tested positive only by nested PCR, while 9.1% tested positive using both tests.
  • Interestingly, samples from the native Terceira Pony population were negative for both tests – which means that these horses were free of the parasite.
  • For samples from mainland Portugal, the parasite was more prevalent. A total of 9.3% tested positive exclusively by cELISA, 1.9% tested positive only by nested PCR, and 16.7% were positive for both tests.
  • This is the first time the researchers used molecular techniques to detect T. equi in Azores, leading to the first-ever report of the parasite in this archipelago.

Conclusion and Recommendations

  • The study concluded that to reduce the risk of new infections, there must be control over the import of horses into Azores and the movement of horses between the islands.
  • This control would also contribute to the protection of native horse populations like the Terceira Pony population, which currently does not harbor the disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Baptista C, Lopes MS, Tavares AC, Rojer H, Kappmeyer L, Mendonça D, da Câmara Machado A. (2013). Diagnosis of Theileria equi infections in horses in the Azores using cELISA and nested PCR. Ticks Tick Borne Dis, 4(3), 242-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.11.008

Publication

Ticks and tick-borne diseases
ISSN: 1877-9603
NlmUniqueID: 101522599
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 4
Issue: 3
Pages: 242-245
PII: S1877-959X(12)00144-6

Researcher Affiliations

Baptista, Cláudio
  • Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Associated Laboratory Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Azores, Rua Capitão João D'Ávila, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal.
Lopes, Maria S
    Tavares, Ana C
      Rojer, Horst
        Kappmeyer, Lowell
          Mendonça, Duarte
            da Câmara Machado, Artur

              MeSH Terms

              • Animals
              • Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
              • Azores / epidemiology
              • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods
              • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
              • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
              • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
              • Horse Diseases / parasitology
              • Horses
              • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
              • Theileria / isolation & purification
              • Theileriasis / diagnosis
              • Theileriasis / epidemiology
              • Theileriasis / parasitology

              Citations

              This article has been cited 5 times.
              1. 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
              2. Mshelia PW, Kappmeyer L, Johnson WC, Kudi CA, Oluyinka OO, Balogun EO, Richard EE, Onoja E, Sears KP, Ueti MW. Molecular detection of Theileria species and Babesia caballi from horses in Nigeria.. Parasitol Res 2020 Sep;119(9):2955-2963.
                doi: 10.1007/s00436-020-06797-ypubmed: 32647992google scholar: lookup
              3. Montes Cortés MG, Fernández-García JL, Habela Martínez-Estéllez MÁ. Seroprevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses in Spain.. Parasite 2017;24:14.
                doi: 10.1051/parasite/2017015pubmed: 28497743google scholar: lookup
              4. Mahmoud MS, El-Ezz NT, Abdel-Shafy S, Nassar SA, El Namaky AH, Khalil WK, Knowles D, Kappmeyer L, Silva MG, Suarez CE. Assessment of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in equine populations in Egypt by molecular, serological and hematological approaches.. Parasit Vectors 2016 May 4;9:260.
                doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1539-9pubmed: 27146413google scholar: lookup
              5. Sumbria D, Das Singla L, Sharma A. Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infection of equids in Punjab, India: a serological and molecular survey.. Trop Anim Health Prod 2016 Jan;48(1):45-52.
                doi: 10.1007/s11250-015-0917-1pubmed: 26387094google scholar: lookup
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