Interpretation of the detection of Sarcocystis neurona antibodies in the serum of young horses.
Abstract: Horses that are exposed to Sarcocystis neurona, a causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, produce antibodies that are detectable in serum by western blot (WB). A positive test is indicative of exposure to the organism. Positive tests in young horses can be complicated by the presence of maternal antibodies. Passive transfer of maternal antibodies to S. neurona from seropositive mares to their foals was evaluated. Foals were sampled at birth (presuckle), at 24h of age (postsuckle), and at monthly intervals. All foals sampled before suckling were seronegative. Thirty-three foals from 33 seropositive mares became seropositive with colostrum ingestion at 24h of age, confirming that passive transfer of S. neurona maternal antibodies occurs. Thirty-one of the 33 foals became seronegative by 9 months of age, with a mean seronegative conversion time of 4.2 months. These results indicate that evaluation of exposure to S. neurona by WB analysis of serum may be misleading in young horses.
Publication Date: 2001-02-27 PubMed ID: 11223199DOI: 10.1016/s0304-4017(00)00390-3Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research looks into how the detection of antibodies from Sarcocystis neurona, a parasite causing neurological disease in horses, can be misleading in young horses due to the passive transfer of these antibodies from the mother through colostrum.
Introduction
- This research focuses on the antibodies produced in horses that come into contact with Sarcocystis neurona, a parasite known to cause equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, a disease that affects the nervous system of horses.
- The presence of S. neurona antibodies in horses can be detected using a serum test known as a western blot (WB).
- However, the validity of these tests in young horses can be confounded by the presence of maternal antibodies, transferred from the mother to the offspring through colostrum, the first form of milk produced after childbirth.
Methodology
- In this study, the passive transfer of S. neurona maternal antibodies from seropositive mares to their foals was examined.
- Blood samples were collected from the foals at birth (before consuming colostrum), at 24 hours after birth (after consuming colostrum), and then at monthly intervals.
- All foals were seronegative for S. neurona prior to suckling.
Results
- Post-colostrum ingestion, out of the 33 foals born to seropositive mares, all showed seropositive for S. neurona antibodies. This reveals that the passive transfer of these antibodies does occur from a mother to her offspring.
- However, 31 out of the 33 foals reverted to being seronegative by the time they were 9 months old, with an average time for this seronegative conversion being roughly 4.2 months.
Conclusion
- The results from this study imply that serum tests using WB for detecting S. neurona exposure may give misleading results in young horses as they can show a false positive result due to the presence of the passively transferred maternal antibodies.
- Therefore, when serological testing young horses for S. neurona, their age and history of colostrum intake should be taken into consideration to avoid misinterpretation of results.
Cite This Article
APA
Cook AG, Buechner-Maxwell V, Morrow JK, Ward DL, Parker NA, Dascanio JJ, Ley WB, Cooper W.
(2001).
Interpretation of the detection of Sarcocystis neurona antibodies in the serum of young horses.
Vet Parasitol, 95(2-4), 187-195.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-4017(00)00390-3 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Duck Pond Drive Phase II, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. ancook2@vt.edu
MeSH Terms
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / analysis
- Blotting, Western / veterinary
- Colostrum / immunology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Immunity, Maternally-Acquired
- Immunoglobulin G / analysis
- Male
- Sarcocystis / immunology
- Sarcocystis / isolation & purification
- Sarcocystosis / diagnosis
- Sarcocystosis / veterinary
- Time Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Dubey JP, Howe DK, Furr M, Saville WJ, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Grigg ME. An update on Sarcocystis neurona infections in animals and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Vet Parasitol 2015 Apr 15;209(1-2):1-42.
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