FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vector Ecol / Investigation of Ixodid ticks as vectors of Babesia caballi ...
Journal of vector ecology : journal of the Society for Vector Ecology2020; 45(1); 25-31; doi: 10.1111/jvec.12370

Investigation of Ixodid ticks as vectors of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) in central Italy.

Abstract: Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are widely recognized as causative agents of equine pirolasmosis (EP), an acute, sub-acute, and chronic disease of equines, with relevant economic impact on horse trade worldwide. Although several studies on EP prevalence from central Italy have been published, data on ticks responsible for its transmission are still lacking. In this study, we identified a potential competent vector, investigating main features of its ecology together with EP infection rates. A two-year sampling of questing ticks was carried out for the first time in Italy in an area known for high EP prevalence in horse sera, detecting the association between Rhipicephalus bursa and causative agents of EP. Most of the positive pools harbored a single infection (91.1%); mixed infections were also detected (8.9%). The infection rate for T. equi slightly decreased among years; B. caballi showed a lower, but increasing, infection rate. Tick phenology, climate variables, and peaks of EP prevalence indicated late May and second half of June as periods with the highest risk of new infections, especially during warm and dry days.
© 2020 The Society for Vector Ecology.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2020-06-04 PubMed ID: 32492265DOI: 10.1111/jvec.12370Google 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • 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.

The research included in this article focuses on the identification of specific ticks as potential carriers of equine piroplasmosis, a debilitating disease affecting horses, in the central region of Italy.

Background and Importance of the Study

  • This research addresses the disease equine piroplasmosis (EP), which is detrimental to horses and holds economic significance through its impact on global trade. EP is known to be caused by the organisms Babesia caballi and Theileria equi.
  • Despite prior studies conducted on the prevalence of EP in central Italy, there has been a lack of research into the types of ticks that transmit the disease in this region. Identifying the vectors of this disease could facilitate more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Study Methodology and Findings

  • Over a period of two years, the researchers conducted a collection and analysis of ticks located in a part of Italy notorious for high levels of EP prevalence. This represents the first study of its kind executed in Italy.
  • The tick species identified as the most likely vector of EP was Rhipicephalus bursa, as it consistently tested positive for the disease’s causative agents. These ticks were found mostly to carry a single infection (91.1%), although there were instances of mixed infections (8.9%).
  • The study also revealed a decrease in infection rates for T. equi over the time of the study, while a rising infection rate was observed for B. caballi.
  • The combination of tick seasons, local climate conditions, and periods of peak EP prevalence led the researchers to identify late May and the second half of June as the time periods in which there existed the greatest risk for new infections. This was especially the case during warm and dry weather conditions.

Implication of Findings

  • The findings of this research put forth valuable insight regarding the transmission patterns and potential risk factors of equine piroplasmosis in central Italy. This information could be used to devise appropriate preventive measures and management strategies against this disease in regions characterized by similar climatic and ecological features.
  • Moreover, imperatively, the identification of Rhipicephalus bursa as a competent vector for the disease may enable more targeted efforts in terms of tick control, mitigating disease spread, and improving the health outcomes for equine populations.

Cite This Article

APA
(2020). Investigation of Ixodid ticks as vectors of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) in central Italy. J Vector Ecol, 45(1), 25-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12370

Publication

Journal of vector ecology : journal of the Society for Vector Ecology
ISSN: 1948-7134
NlmUniqueID: 9512496
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 45
Issue: 1
Pages: 25-31

Researcher Affiliations

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Babesia / pathogenicity
  • Ecology
  • Horse Diseases / parasitology
  • Horse Diseases / transmission
  • Horses
  • Italy
  • Ixodidae / parasitology
  • Ixodidae / pathogenicity
  • Rhipicephalus / parasitology
  • Rhipicephalus / pathogenicity
  • Theileria / pathogenicity

References

This article includes 37 references
  1. Abedi V, Razmi G, Seifi H, Naghibi A. Molecular and serological detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infection in horses and ixodid ticks in Iran.. Ticks Tick-borne Dis. 5:239-244.
  2. Altay K, Aktas M, Dumanli N. Detection of Babesia ovis by PCR in Rhipicephalus bursa collected from naturally infested sheep and goats.. Res. Vet. Sci. 85:116-119.
  3. Bartolomé Del Pino L.E., Nardini R, Veneziano V, Iacopini F, Cersini A, Autorino G.L., Buono F, Scicluna M.T.. Babesia caballi and Theileria equi infections in horses in Central-Southern Italy: Sero-molecular survey and associated risk factors.. Ticks Tick-Borne Dis. 7:762-769.
  4. Bhoora R, Quan M, Franssen L, Butler C.M., Van der Kolk J.H., Guthrie A.J., Zweygarth E, Jongejan F, Collins N.E.. Development and evaluation ofreal-time PCR assays for the quantitative detection of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi infections in horses from South Africa.. Vet. Parasitol. 168:201-211.
  5. Borcard D, Gillet F, Legendre P. Numerical Ecology With R.. Springer, NY. 319 pp..
  6. Burnham K.P., Anderson D.R.. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach.. Springer, NY. 515 pp..
  7. Chiang C.L., Reeves W.C.. Statistical estimation of virus infection rates in mosquito vector populations.. Am. J. Hyg. 75:377-391.
  8. Cringoli G, Otranto D, Testini G, Buono V, Di Giulio G, Traversa D, Lia R, Rinaldi L, Veneziano V, Piccini V. Epidemiology of bovine tick-borne diseases in southern Italy.. Vet. Res. 33:421-428.
  9. Curioni V, Cerquetella S, Scuppa P, Pasqualini L, Beninati T, Favia G. Lyme disease and babesiosis: preliminary findings on the transmission risk in highly frequented areas of the Monti Sibillini National Park (Central Italy).. Vector-Borne Zoonot. Dis. 4:214-220.
  10. De Waal D.T.. Equine piroplasmosis: a review.. Brit. Vet. J. 148:6-14.
  11. Dunkel B. Disorders of the hematopoietic system. In: S.M. Reed, W.M. Bayly, and D.C. Sellon (eds.), Equine Internal Medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences, St. Louis, MO. pp. 991-1028.
  12. Erster O, Roth A, Wolkomirsky R, Leibovich B, Shkap V. Comparative analysis of mitochondrial markers from four species of Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae).. Vet. Parasitol. 198:364-370.
  13. Friedhoff K.T.. Transmission of Babesia.. In: M. Ristic (ed.), Babesiosis of Domestic Animals and Man. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 23-52.
  14. Friedhoff K.T., Tenter A.M., Muller I. Haemoparasites of equines: impact on international trade of horses.. Rev. Sci. Tech. 9:1187-1194.
  15. García-Sanmartín J, Barandika J.F., Juste R.A., García-Peréz A.L., Hurtado A. Distribution and molecular detection of Theileria and Babesia in questing ticks from northern Spain.. Med. Vet. Entomol. 22:318-325.
  16. Georges K, Loria G.R., Riili S, Greco A, Caracappa S, Jongejan F, Sparagano O. Detection of haemoparasites in cattle by reverse line blot hybridisation with a note on the distribution of ticks in Sicily.. Vet. Parasitol. 99:273-286.
  17. Grandi G, Molinari G, Tittarelli M, Sassera D, Kramer L.H.. Prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infection in horses from northern Italy.. Vector-Borne Zoonot. Dis. 11:955-956.
  18. Hair J.F. Jr., Anderson R.E., Tatham R.L., Black W.C.. Multivariate Data Analysis, 4th ed.. Macmillan, NY. 745 pp..
  19. Hoogstraal A. Biology of Ticks.. In: J.K.H. Wilde (ed.), Tick-borne Diseases and Their Vectors. Lewis Reprints Ltd., Tonbridge, UK. pp. 1-18.
  20. Iori A, Gabrielli S, Calderini P, Moretti A, Pietrobelli M, Tampieri M.P., Galuppi R, Cancrini G. Tick reservoirs for piroplasms in central and northern Italy.. Vet. Parasitol. 170: 291-296.
  21. Kettle D.S.. Medical and Veterinary Entomology.. Croom Helm Ltd., London, UK. 792 pp..
  22. Kim C.M., Blanco L.B.C., Alhassan A, Iseki H, Yokoyama N, Xuan X, Igarashi I. Diagnostic real-time PCR assay for the quantitative detection of Theileria equi from equine blood samples.. Vet. Parasitol. 151:158-163.
  23. Laus F, Veronesi F, Passamonti F, Paggi E, Cerquetella M, Hyatt D, Tesei B, Fioretti D.P.. Prevalence of tick borne pathogens in horses from Italy.. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 75:715-720.
  24. Levine N.D.. Veterinary Protozoology.. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA. pp. 291-328.
  25. Manilla G. Acari Ixodida.. Calderini, Bologna, Italy. 280 pp..
  26. Markov A.A., Kurchatov V.I., Dzasokhov G.S.. Part played by Rhipicephalus bursa in the spread of equine Nuttalliasis.. Sov. Vet. 17: 33.
  27. McDonald J.H.. Handbook of Biological Statistics (3rd ed.).. Sparky House Publishing, Baltimore, MD. pp. 229-237.
  28. Mehlhorn H, Schein E. Redescription of Babesia equi Laveran, 1901 as Theileria equi Mehlhorn, Schein 1998.. Parasitol. Res. 84:467-475.
  29. Moretti A, Mangili V, Salvatori R, Maresca C, Scoccia E, Torina A, Moretta I, Gabrielli S, Tampieri M.P., Pietrobelli M. Prevalence and diagnosis of Babesia and Theileria infections in horses in Italy: A preliminary study.. Vet. J. 184:346-350.
  30. Preston P.M.. Theilerioses.. In: M.W. Sevice (ed.), Encyclopedia of Arthropod-transmitted Infections of Man and Domesticated Animals. CABI, Wallingford, U.K. pp. 487-502.
  31. Savini G, Conte A, Semproni G, Scaramozzino P. Tick-borne diseases in ruminants of central and southern Italy: epidemiology and case reports.. Parassitologia 41 (Suppl. 1): 95-100.
  32. Scoles G.A., Ueti M.W.. Vector ecology of equine piroplasmosis.. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 60:561-580.
  33. Schnittger L, Rodriguez A.E., Florin-Christensen M, Morrison D.A.. Babesia: a world emerging.. Infect. Genet. Evol. 12:1788-1809.
  34. Sergent E, Donatien A, Parrot L.M., Lestoquard F. Transmission hereditaire de Piroplasma bigeminum chez Rhipicephalus bursa.. Bull. Soc. Pathol. Exot. 24:195-198.
  35. Storey-Lewis B, Mitrovic A, McParland B. Molecular detection and characterisation of Babesia and Theileria in Australian hard ticks.. Ticks Tick-Borne Dis. 9:471-478.
  36. Uilenberg G. Babesia-a historical overview.. Vet. Parasitol. 138:3-10.
  37. Vanwambeke S.O., Sumilo D, Bormane A, Lambin E.F., Randolph S.E.. Landscape predictors of tick-borne encephalitis in Latvia: land cover, land use, and land ownership.. Vector-Borne Zoonot. Dis. 10:497-506.

Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Nadal C, Marsot M, Le Metayer G, Boireau P, Guillot J, Bonnet SI. Spatial and Temporal Circulation of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in France Based on Seven Years of Serological Data. Pathogens 2022 Feb 9;11(2).
    doi: 10.3390/pathogens11020227pubmed: 35215171google scholar: lookup
  2. Bajer A, Dwużnik-Szarek D. The specificity of Babesia-tick vector interactions: recent advances and pitfalls in molecular and field studies. Parasit Vectors 2021 Sep 28;14(1):507.
    doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-05019-3pubmed: 34583754google scholar: lookup
  3. Köseoğlu AE, Can H, Güvendi M, Erkunt Alak S, Kandemir Ç, Taşkın T, Demir S, Akgül G, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Karakavuk M, Döşkaya M, Gürüz AY, Ün C. Molecular investigation of bacterial and protozoal pathogens in ticks collected from different hosts in Turkey. Parasit Vectors 2021 May 20;14(1):270.
    doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04779-2pubmed: 34016174google scholar: lookup
  4. Villa L, Cafiso A, Cialini C, Olivieri E, Allievi C, Pintore E, Garippa G, Manfredi MT, Bazzocchi C. Serological and molecular insights into tick-borne pathogens in wild donkeys from an unexplored Mediterranean nature reserve. Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis 2025;7:100267.
    doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2025.100267pubmed: 40503032google scholar: lookup
  5. Banović P, Foucault-Simonin A, Papić L, Savić S, Potkonjak A, Jurišić A, Radenković M, Mijatović D, Simin V, Bogdan I, Zając Z, Kulisz J, Woźniak A, Hartmann D, Perner J, Wu-Chuang A, Mateos-Hernandez L, Moutailler S, Cabezas-Cruz A. One health approach to study human health risks associated with Dermanyssus gallinae mites. Heliyon 2024 May 15;10(9):e30539.
    doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30539pubmed: 38742058google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,105 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.