Immunohistochemical study to demonstrate Sarcocystis neurona in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.
Abstract: A 5-year (1985-1989) retrospective immunohistochemical study was conducted using an avidin-biotin complex (ABC) immunoperoxidase method to demonstrate Sarcocystis neurona in histologically suspect cases of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Primary antibodies against S. neurona and S. cruzi were utilized for the ABC technique. The findings were compared with those from cases in which the organisms were detected by examination of hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained neuronal sections. HE-stained sections detected the presence of the organisms in 20% of the suspect cases; whereas the ABC technique confirmed the presence of S. neurona in 51% and 67% of the cases by S. neurona and S. cruzi antibodies, respectively. A review of clinical case histories showed that 21/47 (45%) of the EPM horses with parasites in the tissue sections had prior treatment with antiprotozoal drugs and/or steroids. Using the test results of S. neurona and S. cruzi as a standard reference, HE test sensitivity based on examination of up to 30 neuronal sections per case was only 25%, and test specificity was 91%.
Publication Date: 1993-07-01 PubMed ID: 8373858DOI: 10.1177/104063879300500320Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper discusses a 5-year retrospective study that used an immunohistochemical method to detect Sarcocystis neurona, a parasite known to cause equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a neurological disease in horses. The study found that the immunohistochemical method was more effective in detecting the parasite than traditional examination of histological sections.
Retrospective Study Approach
- The study was retrospective in nature, using data from cases spanning from 1985 to 1989.
- The approach used was an avidin-biotin complex (ABC) immunoperoxidase method, a type of immunohistochemical staining technique that helps identify specific antigens (in this case, S. neurona) in a tissue section.
- The researchers used primary antibodies against S. neurona and S. cruzi for the ABC technique.
Comparison with Traditional Methods
- The results from the ABC technique were compared with results from traditional histological examination, which involve observing hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained neuronal sections under a microscope.
- With the histochemical examinations, only 20% of the suspect cases were correctly identified as having the organisms.
- The ABC technique, on the other hand, using antibodies against S. neurona and S. cruzi, detected the presence of S. neurona in 51% and 67% of the cases, respectively, indicating more efficient detection.
Review of Clinical Case Histories
- The researchers also reviewed clinical case histories, and found that 45% of the EPM horses with parasites in the tissue sections had prior treatment with antiprotozoal drugs and/or steroids.
- Using the test results of S. neurona and S. cruzi as a standard reference, the sensitivity of the HE test was only 25%, while the specificity was 91%. Sensitivity gauges how well a test accurately identifies a disease presence, and specificity measures how well it identifies the non-disease state, indicating that while the HE test was specific, it wasn’t reliably sensitive.
Cite This Article
APA
Hamir AN, Moser G, Galligan DT, Davis SW, Granstrom DE, Dubey JP.
(1993).
Immunohistochemical study to demonstrate Sarcocystis neurona in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 5(3), 418-422.
https://doi.org/10.1177/104063879300500320 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square 19348.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / analysis
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / parasitology
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / pathology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Immunoenzyme Techniques / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Sarcocystosis / parasitology
- Sarcocystosis / pathology
- Sarcocystosis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Reed SM, Furr M, Howe DK, Johnson AL, MacKay RJ, Morrow JK, Pusterla N, Witonsky S. Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis: An Updated Consensus Statement with a Focus on Parasite Biology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention.. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Mar-Apr;30(2):491-502.
- Adedeji AO, Barr B, Gomez-Lucia E, Murphy B. A polytropic caprine arthritis encephalitis virus promoter isolated from multiple tissues from a sheep with multisystemic lentivirus-associated inflammatory disease.. Viruses 2013 Aug 15;5(8):2005-18.
- Liang FT, Granstrom DE, Zhao XM, Timoney JF. Evidence that surface proteins Sn14 and Sn16 of Sarcocystis neurona merozoites are involved in infection and immunity.. Infect Immun 1998 May;66(5):1834-8.
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