Disseminated central nervous system disease caused by Trypanosoma evansi in a horse.
Abstract: Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi ("Surra") is mainly a wasting disease affecting equids, camels and cattle as well as other domestic and wild animal species. In horses, infection may cause severe neurological abnormalities; however, the clinical progression, pathogenesis and molecular ante-mortem detection of this form of the disease have not been described in detail. A mare with progressive ataxia, head tilt, nystagmus and cranial nerve deficits submitted to treatment was diagnosed with central nervous system trypanosomiasis following the detection of a Trypanosoma tryposmastigote in cerebrospinal fluid cytology. Histopathology following necropsy showed that the brain, spinal cord and kidneys were the main affected tissues with disseminated multifocal non-suppurative meningoencephalitis of the central nervous system and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Serology for T. evansi was positive and PCR indicated the presence of parasite DNA in the cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord and bone marrow but not in other organs and confirmed the identity of causative agent as T. evansi. This is the first report of ante-mortem detection of T. evansi in the cerebrospinal fluid of a horse and the first description of post-mortem PCR identification of the parasite DNA in the nervous system.
Publication Date: 2009-02-06 PubMed ID: 19251368DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.01.030Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Case Reports
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
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.
This study presents a detailed clinical report of a horse suffering from a severe form of Trypanosoma evansi, often referred to as “Surra”. The disease exhibited noticeable neurological symptoms and the presence of the parasite was confirmed in the horse’s cerebrospinal fluid, brain stem, spinal cord, and bone marrow.
Clinical Presentation and Diagnostic Measures
- The research starts with presenting a case of a horse diagnosed with trypanosomiasis, caused by Trypanosoma evansi. The horse, specifically a mare, showed symptoms of progressive ataxia (a lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements), a head tilt, nystagmus (involuntary eye movement), and cranial nerve deficits.
- Upon inspection, the Trypanosoma tryposmastigote—which is a specific developmental stage of a parasite—was detected in the horse’s cerebrospinal fluid. This discovery was crucial for the diagnosis as it confirmed the presence of trypanosomiasis affecting the horse’s central nervous system.
Post-Mortem Findings and Examination
- Post-mortem analyses helped highlight the extent of damage caused by the disease. The horse displayed dissemination of the disease particularly in the brain, spinal cord, and kidneys.
- Histopathology, or the microscopic examination of tissues, revealed multifocal non-suppurative meningoencephalitis—a form of encephalitis characterized by inflammation of the brain and its surrounding tissues.
- Furthermore, the horse suffered from membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, an immune disorder impacting the kidneys.
Molecular Identification of T. evansi
- An important aspect of this study was the positive detection of T. evansi via serology—the analysis of serum compounds to detect the presence of specific antibodies indicative of the disease.
- Moreover, DNA analysis via PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction—a widely used method in molecular biology for copying and amplifying small segments of DNA) confirmed the presence of parasite DNA in the cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord, and bone marrow.
- Interestingly, no parasite DNA was found in other organs of the horse, indicating a particular affinity of T. evansi for the central nervous system.
- This study is particularly significant as it documents the first instance of ante-mortem detection of T. evansi in a horse’s cerebrospinal fluid, as well as, the first description of post-mortem DNA identification of the parasite in the nervous system.
Cite This Article
APA
Berlin D, Loeb E, Baneth G.
(2009).
Disseminated central nervous system disease caused by Trypanosoma evansi in a horse.
Vet Parasitol, 161(3-4), 316-319.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.01.030 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel. berlin@agri.huji.ac.il
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Central Nervous System Diseases / parasitology
- Central Nervous System Diseases / pathology
- Central Nervous System Diseases / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Trypanosoma / classification
- Trypanosoma / isolation & purification
- Trypanosomiasis / parasitology
- Trypanosomiasis / pathology
- Trypanosomiasis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Dkhil MA, Al-Shaebi EM, Abdel-Gaber R, Alkhudhayri A, Thagfan FA, Al-Quraishy S. Treatment of Trypanosoma evansi-Infected Mice With Eucalyptus camaldulensis Led to a Change in Brain Response and Spleen Immunomodulation.. Front Microbiol 2022;13:833520.
- Sawitri DH, Damayanti R. Comparative pathology of mice infected with high and low virulence of Indonesian Trypanosoma evansi isolates.. J Parasit Dis 2021 Jun;45(2):502-511.
- Mohd Rajdi NZI, Mohamad MA, Tan LP, Choong SS, Reduan MFH, Hamdan RH, C W Zalati CWS. First case report on the occurrence of Trypanosoma evansi in a Siam B Mare in Kelantan, Malaysia.. Vet Med Sci 2021 Mar;7(2):303-309.
- Ereqat S, Nasereddin A, Al-Jawabreh A, Al-Jawabreh H, Al-Laham N, Abdeen Z. Prevalence of Trypanosoma evansi in livestock in Palestine.. Parasit Vectors 2020 Jan 13;13(1):21.
- Camoin M, Kocher A, Chalermwong P, Yangtarra S, Kamyingkird K, Jittapalapong S, Desquesnes M. The Indirect ELISA Trypanosoma evansi in Equids: Optimisation and Application to a Serological Survey including Racing Horses, in Thailand.. Biomed Res Int 2019;2019:2964639.
- Baldissera MD, de Freitas Souza C, Mourão RHV, da Silva LVF, Monteiro SG. Trypanocidal action of Lippia alba and Lippia origanoides essential oils against Trypanosoma evansi in vitro and in vivo used mice as experimental model.. J Parasit Dis 2017 Jun;41(2):345-351.
- Gizaw Y, Megersa M, Fayera T. Dourine: a neglected disease of equids.. Trop Anim Health Prod 2017 Jun;49(5):887-897.
- Baldissera MD, Souza CF, Grando TH, Moreira KL, Schafer AS, Cossetin LF, da Silva AP, da Veiga ML, da Rocha MI, Stefani LM, da Silva AS, Monteiro SG. Nerolidol-loaded nanospheres prevent behavioral impairment via ameliorating Na(+), K(+)-ATPase and AChE activities as well as reducing oxidative stress in the brain of Trypanosoma evansi-infected mice.. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2017 Feb;390(2):139-148.
- Ranjithkumar M, Saravanan BC, Yadav SC, Kumar R, Singh R, Dey S. Neurological trypanosomiasis in quinapyramine sulfate-treated horses--a breach of the blood-brain barrier?. Trop Anim Health Prod 2014 Feb;46(2):371-7.
- Onmaz AC, Beutel RG, Schneeberg K, Pavaloiu AN, Komarek A, van den Hoven R. Vectors and vector-borne diseases of horses.. Vet Res Commun 2013 Mar;37(1):65-81.
- Gillingwater K, Gutierrez C, Bridges A, Wu H, Deborggraeve S, Ekangu RA, Kumar A, Ismail M, Boykin D, Brun R. Efficacy study of novel diamidine compounds in a Trypanosoma evansi goat model.. PLoS One 2011;6(6):e20836.
- Talmi-Frank D, Jaffe CL, Nasereddin A, Warburg A, King R, Svobodova M, Peleg O, Baneth G. Leishmania tropica in rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) in a focus of human cutaneous leishmaniasis.. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010 May;82(5):814-8.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
