Risk factors for equine trypanosomosis and hematological analysis of horses in Paraguay.

This research study aimed to identify the risk factors for equine trypanosomosis, a disease affecting horses in Paraguay. Findings indicated that while location, age, and breed of horses did not significantly affect infection rates, sex and seasonality did, with the infection rates being higher during the rainy-summer season.

Introduction

• The research is focused on Trypanosoma, a breed of parasite causing the disease Trypanosomosis in horses.
• Equine trypanosomosis has a significant negative impact on the South America’s livestock industry, and as of this study’s filming, the risk factors for this disease in Paraguay were unknown.
• This research sought to identify the possible risk factors, harnessing data based on molecular survey results from PCR testing and individual horse sampling.

Methodology

• 739 blood samples were collected from horses in 16 different regions of Paraguay over a period between August 2019 and November 2020.
• The collected samples were analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to identify Trypanosome infection.
• The researchers then evaluated the possible relationship between Trypanosome infection and different variables, namely, the location, sex, age, breed of horses, and the season of sample collection.

Results

• Proof of Trypanosome infection was not found significant differences across the various horse breeds, their ages, or regions of Paraguay.
• However, the research study did find horse’s sex and the season of sample collection as significant risk factors for Trypanosome infection in Paraguay.
• Specifically, the rainy-summer season was identified as the most risky period for Trypanosome infection among horses in Paraguay.
• This conclusion has been drawn upon the fact that the number and activity of vectors (an organism, typically a biting insect or tick, that transmits a disease or parasite from one animal or plant to another) increase during the rainy-summer season, thus increasing the chances of Trypanosome infection.

Implications

• Understanding these risk factors could help inform programs aimed at controlling or eliminating this disease.
• This study’s conclusion suggests that efforts to develop preventive measures or treatment should focus on protecting horses during the rainy-summer season and consider the different risks for male and female horses.