Molecular detection and prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses of central Balkan.
Abstract: Equine piroplasmosis is significant tick-borne disease with wide distribution. The prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina is unknown. In aim to obtain a first insight into the prevalence we performed molecular epidemiological study which included 142 horses, on seven locations in these three countries. We first performed PCR for the detection of a 450bp long section of the 18S rRNA of piroplasma-specific region. For all positive samples we have done multiplex PCR for the species detection. Species determination was further confirmed by sequencing PCR products of 10 randomly selected Theileria equi and all Babesia caballi samples. The overall prevalence rates in analysed region for T. equi and B. caballi were 22.5% and 2.1%, respectively. Possible risk factors (such as location, age, sex and activity) associated with PCR positivity were evaluated. Marked differences were found in prevalence between geographic areas. There was no significant association between positivity and age group. T. equi was more prevalent in females and farming horses. This is the first report on the molecular survey of T. equi and B. caballi in central Balkan. Further prevalence studies on definitive host and vectors in this region are necessary.
Publication Date: 2016-04-15 PubMed ID: 27078657DOI: 10.1515/ap-2016-0044Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Molecular biology
- Piroplasmosis
- Public Health
- Risk Factors
- Seroprevalence
- Theileria equi
- Tick-Borne Diseases
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Medicine
- Zoonotic Diseases
Summary
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The article is about a study on equine piroplasmosis, a tick-borne disease in horses, conducted in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess its prevalence and related risk factors.
Introduction
- The research focused on a disease in horses called equine piroplasmosis. This illness is caused by ticks and has a broad geographic distribution.
- The study’s aim was to understand the prevalence of the disease in the central Balkan regions of Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where no previously recorded data exists.
Methods
- The study included 142 horses from seven different sites across the three countries.
- Molecular testing was conducted, primarily using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. This method was used to detect a unique region of the 18S rRNA of piroplasma in the horses’ blood.
- Secondary PCR was performed on samples that tested positive from the first test, to determine species of the pathogens.
- Further confirmation of species determination was done by sequencing PCR products of 10 randomly selected Theileria equi samples and all Babesia caballi samples.
Results
- The prevalence rates of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections were 22.5% and 2.1%, respectively.
- The results indicated marked differences in prevalence among the various geographical areas examined, identifying location as a significant risk factor.
- There was no significant link between the probability of infection and various age groups.
- The study found higher rates of Theileria equi in female horses and those used in farming.
Conclusion
- This study is the first to report on the molecular detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in the central Balkan region.
- The researchers suggest that additional studies on definitive hosts and vectors in this region are necessary to further understand the spread and control of this disease.
Cite This Article
APA
Davitkov D, Vucicevic M, Stevanovic J, Krstic V, Slijepcevic D, Glavinic U, Stanimirovic Z.
(2016).
Molecular detection and prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses of central Balkan.
Acta Parasitol, 61(2), 337-342.
https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2016-0044 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Babesia / classification
- Babesia / genetics
- Babesia / isolation & purification
- Babesiosis / epidemiology
- Babesiosis / parasitology
- Bosnia and Herzegovina / epidemiology
- DNA, Protozoan / chemistry
- DNA, Protozoan / genetics
- DNA, Ribosomal / chemistry
- DNA, Ribosomal / genetics
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Male
- Montenegro / epidemiology
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Prevalence
- RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / genetics
- Risk Factors
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Serbia / epidemiology
- Theileria / classification
- Theileria / genetics
- Theileria / isolation & purification
- Theileriasis / epidemiology
- Theileriasis / parasitology
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Bajer A, Beck A, Beck R, Behnke JM, Dwużnik-Szarek D, Eichenberger RM, Farkas R, Fuehrer HP, Heddergott M, Jokelainen P, Leschnik M, Oborina V, Paulauskas A, Radzijevskaja J, Ranka R, Schnyder M, Springer A, Strube C, Tolkacz K, Walochnik J. Babesiosis in Southeastern, Central and Northeastern Europe: An Emerging and Re-Emerging Tick-Borne Disease of Humans and Animals. Microorganisms 2022 Apr 30;10(5).
- 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).
- Stevanović O, Jurković D, Polkinghorne A, Ćeleš A, Ilić T, Dimitrijević S, Nedić D, Beck R. Molecular detection of Babesia divergens and Mycoplasma wenyonii infection in cattle from Bosnia And Herzegovina. Parasitol Res 2020 Apr;119(4):1423-1427.
- Aziz KJ, Al-Barwary LTO. Epidemiological Study of Equine Piroplasmosis (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) by Microscopic Examination and Competitive-ELISA in Erbil Province North-Iraq. Iran J Parasitol 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):404-412.
- Ionita M, Nicorescu IM, Pfister K, Mitrea IL. Parasitological and molecular diagnostic of a clinical Babesia caballi outbreak in Southern Romania. Parasitol Res 2018 Jul;117(7):2333-2339.
- 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.
- Soliman AM, Elhawary NM, Helmy NM, El-Seify MA, Amer MM, Mohamed S, Memon FU, Rashid MHO, Gadelhaq SM. Molecular detection and genotyping of Theileria equi infection within the equine population in Giza, Egypt, using real-time PCR as compared with conventional detection methods. Iran J Vet Res 2025;26(2):145-151.
- Kapo N, Zuber Bogdanović I, Gagović E, Jurković Žilić D, Sukara R, Adžić B, Kadriaj P, Naletilić Š, Vodica A, Cvetkovikj A, Djadjovski I, Potkonjak A, Savić S, Tomanović S, Omeragić J, Hodžić A, Beck R. Non-zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in Western Balkan. Parasit Vectors 2025 Mar 14;18(1):107.
- Giubega S, Ilie MS, Morariu S, Imre M, Dreghiciu C, Rugea T, Ivascu S, Simion G, Dărăbuș G. Molecular Investigations of Babesia caballi from Clinically Healthy Horses in Southwestern Romania. Vet Sci 2024 Nov 27;11(12).
- Axt CW, Springer A, Strube C, Jung C, Naucke TJ, Müller E, Schäfer I. Molecular and Serological Detection of Vector-Borne Pathogens Responsible for Equine Piroplasmosis in Europe between 2008 and 2021. Microorganisms 2024 Apr 17;12(4).
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