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PCR detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in apparently healthy horses in Paraguay.
Abstract: Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in equids, including horses. EP has a global distribution and often leads to a significant socioeconomic impact on the equine industry. Infected animals remain as carriers and become a source of infection for tick vectors, thereby posing an immense challenge in the disease management. Therefore, detection of these carriers is crucial to assess the risk of transmission and to implement appropriate control measures in endemic countries. Paraguay is a tropical country where various tick-borne diseases are common among livestock; however, the status of EP remains unknown in this country. Because the tick vectors capable of transmitting T. equi and B. caballi are endemic in Paraguay, we hypothesised that Paraguayan horses are infected with these parasite species. To test our hypothesis, we prepared blood DNA samples from a total of 545 apparently healthy horses in 16 of the 17 departments of Paraguay and analysed them with specific PCR assays to detect T. equi and B. caballi. The PCR results showed that 178 (32.7%) and 8 (1.5%) of the horses were infected with T. equi and B. caballi, respectively. Among the infected horses, two (0.4%) were infected with both parasite species. Our analyses further indicated that the positive rates of T. equi infection did not differ between horse breeds, males and females, or age groups. We also found that haematological parameters were the same between the non-infected animals and animals with single infections. By contrast, the two horses co-infected with T. equi and B. caballi had haemoglobin and haematocrit values lower than the normal ranges. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that Paraguayan horses are infected with T. equi and B. caballi and that the rate of T. equi infection is higher than that of B. caballi. Our findings highlight the need to add EP to the list of differential diagnoses when anaemic horses are presented to equine clinics in Paraguay.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2023-01-29 PubMed ID: 36878622DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2023.100835Google 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.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Asymptomatic Carriers
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Endemic Disease
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Parasites
- Piroplasmosis
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Public Health
- Theileria equi
- Tick-Borne Diseases
- Veterinary Medicine
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 research article discusses a study on the prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, parasites causing equine piroplasmosis (EP), in healthy horses in Paraguay, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The study revealed a significant presence of T. equi (32.7%) in sampled horses, with a lesser occurrence of B. caballi (1.5%).
Research Purpose and Hypothesis
- The main aim of the research was to determine the presence and prevalence of the parasites causing equine piroplasmosis, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, in apparently healthy horses in Paraguay, a country where tick-borne diseases are common, but the status of these parasites is unknown.
- This objective was based on the hypothesis that Paraguayan horses are likely infected with T. equi and B. caballi, due to the endemic nature of the tick vectors capable of transmitting these parasites.
Methodology
- The study analyzed blood DNA samples from a total of 545 healthy horses from 16 of Paraguay’s 17 departments, using specific PCR assays to detect T. equi and B. caballi.
Findings
- The results of the research showed that 178 horses (32.7%) were infected with T. equi, and 8 horses (1.5%) were infected with B. caballi.
- It also emerged that two horses (0.4%) were infected with both parasites.
- The findings further revealed that positive rates of T. equi did not differ across horse breeds, gender, or age groups.
- Where haematological parameters were concerned, it was found that they were the same among non-infected animals and animals with single infections except the two horses co-infected with both parasites that had haemoglobin and haematocrit values lower than the normal ranges.
Conclusion
- The study concludes that Paraguayan horses are, indeed, infected with T. equi and B. caballi, highlighting the need to include equine piroplasmosis in differential diagnoses for anemic horses in Paraguay.
- The researchers further point out that the rate of T. equi infection was found to be higher than that of B. caballi.
Cite This Article
APA
Ahedor B, Sivakumar T, Valinotti MFR, Otgonsuren D, Yokoyama N, Acosta TJ.
(2023).
PCR detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in apparently healthy horses in Paraguay.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports, 39, 100835.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2023.100835 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Department of Animal Experimentation, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana.
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
- Centro de Diagnostico Veterinario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay.
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; OIE Reference Laboratory for Equine Piroplasmosis.
- Universidad Nacional de Canendiyu, Salto del Guaira, Paraguay; Field Center of Animal Science and Agriculture, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan. Electronic address: tjacosta@obihiro.ac.jp.
MeSH Terms
- Female
- Male
- Horses
- Animals
- Babesia / genetics
- Paraguay / epidemiology
- Theileria / genetics
- Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
- Livestock
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests in association with this study.
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Qin S, Kulabieke T, Mizhamuhan D, Zhang M, Jin M, Abula G, Pi M, Wang H, Zhang Y, Guo Q. Molecular Prevalence and Genotypic Diversity of Theileria equi in Xinjiang, China, Based on Three Genes. Vet Sci 2025 Dec 25;13(1).
- Ullah A, Geng M, Chen W, Zhu Q, Shi L, Zhang X, Akhtar MF, Wang C, Khan MZ. Effect of Parasitic Infections on Hematological Profile, Reproductive and Productive Performance in Equines. Animals (Basel) 2025 Nov 14;15(22).
- 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.
- Hacilarlioglu S, Bilgic HB, Karagenc T, Aydin HB, Toker H, Kanlioglu H, Pekagirbas M, Bakirci S. Molecular Detection and Prevalence of Equine Piroplasmosis and Other Blood Parasites in Equids of Western Aegean Türkiye. Vet Sci 2025 Aug 27;12(9).
- Ahedor B, Otgonsuren D, Zhyldyz A, Guswanto A, Ngigi NMM, Valinotti MFR, Kothalawala H, Kalaichelvan N, Silva SSP, Kothalawala H, Acosta TJ, Sivakumar T, Yokoyama N. Development and evaluation of specific polymerase chain reaction assays for detecting Theileria equi genotypes. Parasit Vectors 2023 Nov 25;16(1):435.
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