Repeated high dose imidocarb dipropionate treatment did not eliminate Babesia caballi from naturally infected horses as determined by PCR-reverse line blot hybridization.
Abstract: Imidocarb treatment of horses infected with Babesia caballi is supposed to eliminate the infection, but data on the efficacy of this treatment is scarce. The study presented here concerns four Paso Fino horses, which were imported into the island of Curacao on the basis of a piroplasmosis negative complement fixation test (CFT). Upon re-testing with an indirect fluorescent antibody test immediately after arrival in Curacao, two horses appeared to have antibodies to B. caballi and all horses had antibodies to Theileria equi. Subsequent testing with polymerase chain reaction combined with a reverse line blot yielded positive results for both agents in all four horses. Treatment with five consecutive doses of imidocarb dipropionate (4.7 mg/kg BW im q 72 h), temporarily resulted in negative results, but B. caballi and T. equi were detected again in the samples taken at 6 and 18 weeks after completion of the treatment. These results confirm that the CFT is not a suitable test for pre-import testing and that even high dose treatment with imidocarb may not be capable of eliminating B. caballi and T. equi infections from healthy carriers.
Publication Date: 2007-11-17 PubMed ID: 18160222DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.11.010Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research indicates that high doses of imidocarb dipropionate treatment do not permanently eliminate Babesia caballi, a type of parasite, from horses even though it is commonly used for this purpose.
Objective
This study aimed to understand the effectiveness of imidocarb dipropionate treatment in naturally infected horses with Babesia caballi. The specific focus was on whether the treatment could completely eliminate the infection.
Methodology
- The study involved four Paso Fino horses that were imported into the island of Curacao.
- The horses were initially subjected to a piroplasmosis-negative complement fixation test (CFT) before their entrance in Curacao.
- After their arrival, the horses were re-tested using an indirect fluorescent antibody test. It was discovered that two horses had antibodies to B. caballi and all four had antibodies to Theileria equi, another parasite.
- The horses underwent further testing using a polymerase chain reaction combined with a reverse line blot which revealed positive results for both B. caballi and Theileria equi infections.
- The horses were then treated with five consecutive doses of imidocarb dipropionate (4.7 mg/kg BW im q 72 h).
Findings
- This treatment initially resulted in negative results, suggesting the parasites were eliminated.
- However, both B. caballi and T. equi were detected again in the samples taken at 6 and 18 weeks after the completion of the treatment.
- The occurrence of these parasites after the treatment indicates the inability of imidocarb dipropionate to entirely eliminate the infections.
- This study also pointed out that the CFT was not an adequate test for pre-import testing of horses due to its inability to accurately detect the presence of B. caballi.
Conclusion of the Study
- The findings confirmed that even with high dose treatment of imidocarb dipropionate, the drug is incapable of completely eliminating B. caballi and T. equi infections from horses, contradicting the common perception of its effectiveness.
- This study suggests the need for a more reliable pre-import testing mechanism to prevent the unnecessary spread of these infections.
Cite This Article
APA
Butler CM, Nijhof AM, van der Kolk JH, de Haseth OB, Taoufik A, Jongejan F, Houwers DJ.
(2007).
Repeated high dose imidocarb dipropionate treatment did not eliminate Babesia caballi from naturally infected horses as determined by PCR-reverse line blot hybridization.
Vet Parasitol, 151(2-4), 320-322.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.11.010 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Equine Sciences, Medicine Section, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.153, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands. c.m.butler@uu.nl
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
- Antiprotozoal Agents / standards
- Antiprotozoal Agents / therapeutic use
- Babesia / isolation & purification
- Babesiosis / diagnosis
- Babesiosis / drug therapy
- Babesiosis / veterinary
- Blotting, Southern / veterinary
- Complement Fixation Tests / standards
- Complement Fixation Tests / veterinary
- DNA, Protozoan / blood
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Imidocarb / analogs & derivatives
- Imidocarb / standards
- Imidocarb / therapeutic use
- Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
- Theileria / isolation & purification
- Theileriasis / diagnosis
- Time Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- He L, Bastos RG, Yu L, Laughery JM, Suarez CE. Lactate Dehydrogenase as a Potential Therapeutic Drug Target to Control Babesia bigemina. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022;12:870852.
- 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).
- Van Voorhis WC, Doggett JS, Parsons M, Hulverson MA, Choi R, Arnold SLM, Riggs MW, Hemphill A, Howe DK, Mealey RH, Lau AOT, Merritt EA, Maly DJ, Fan E, Ojo KK. Extended-spectrum antiprotozoal bumped kinase inhibitors: A review. Exp Parasitol 2017 Sep;180:71-83.
- Mans BJ, Pienaar R, Latif AA. A review of Theileria diagnostics and epidemiology. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2015 Apr;4(1):104-18.
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- Mosqueda J, Olvera-Ramirez A, Aguilar-Tipacamu G, Canto GJ. Current advances in detection and treatment of babesiosis. Curr Med Chem 2012;19(10):1504-18.
- Schwint ON, Ueti MW, Palmer GH, Kappmeyer LS, Hines MT, Cordes RT, Knowles DP, Scoles GA. Imidocarb dipropionate clears persistent Babesia caballi infection with elimination of transmission potential. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2009 Oct;53(10):4327-32.
- Firat R, Ulucesme MC, Eyvaz A, Alatas M, Aktas M, Ceylan O, Sevinc F, Ozubek S. Persistence and Transmission Dynamics of Babesia ovis After Imidocarb Dipropionate Treatment: Evaluation via Blood Transfusion and Tick Infestation. Pathogens 2025 Dec 20;15(1).
- Gupta KK, Gupta N, Kumar S, Srivastava M, Kumar P. Equine piroplasmosis: an emerging tick-borne threat to equine health. Trop Anim Health Prod 2026 Jan 5;58(1):29.
- Cossu CA, Ochai SO, Troskie M, Hartmann A, Godfroid J, de Klerk LM, Turner W, Kamath P, van Schalkwyk OL, Cassini R, Bhoora R, van Heerden H. Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogen Coinfections and Coexposures to Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Brucellosis, and Q Fever in Selected Wildlife From Kruger National Park, South Africa, and Etosha National Park, Namibia. Transbound Emerg Dis 2024;2024:2417717.
- 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).
- Mendoza FJ, Pérez-Écija A, Kappmeyer LS, Suarez CE, Bastos RG. New insights in the diagnosis and treatment of equine piroplasmosis: pitfalls, idiosyncrasies, and myths. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1459989.
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