Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses in the Czech Republic.
Abstract: Theileria equi and Babesia caballi are protozoan agents causing equine piroplasmosis, endemic in countries all over the world. The aim of this study was to detect antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi in horses in the Czech Republic and to investigate the origin of the infection. Blood sera from 711 horses were examined with competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; positive samples were verified with indirect fluorescence immunoassay. Antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi were detected in eight (1.1%) and three (0.4%) horses, respectively. Infection with T. equi was confirmed by PCR and sequencing in the blood of five serologically positive horses. An autochthonous origin of T. equi infection could not be excluded in two (0.3%) horses. Intensive movement of horses across European countries and the expanding occurrence of competent tick vector Dermacentor reticulatus in the Czech Republic create an increasing risk of establishing active foci of equine piroplasmosis in the country.
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2021-06-20 PubMed ID: 34097910DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105993Google 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
- Blood
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Transmission
- Endemic Disease
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Immunofluorescence Assay
- Infectious Disease
- Piroplasmosis
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Protozoa
- Serological Surveys
- Seroprevalence
- Theileria equi
- Ticks
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Medicine
Summary
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This research investigates the occurrence of two protozoan infections, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, in horses within the Czech Republic. The study found antibodies for these parasites in a small percentage of the horse population, highlighting a potential risk for the establishment of active equine piroplasmosis in the region due to increased horse movement and the presence of competent tick vectors.
Research Context and Objectives
- The target of the research was to screen for the presence of antibodies against protozoan agents, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, in horses in the Czech Republic. Both organisms cause equine piroplasmosis, an infectious disease endemic in many countries.
- Further, the study was interested in investigating the source of these infections.
Research Methodology
- The research team used a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) to test serum samples from 711 horses for antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi.
- Samples showing a positive result were further tested with an indirect fluorescence immunoassay (IFAT) to confirm the presence of antibodies against these organisms.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing were conducted on blood samples from five serologically positive horses to confirm infection with T. equi.
Research Findings
- Of the screened horse population, 1.1% horses were found to have antibodies to T. equi and 0.4% to B. caballi respectively.
- PCR and sequencing confirmed the presence of T. equi infection in five serologically positive horses.
- An autochthonous, or local, origin of T. equi infection could not be ruled out in two of the horses.
Conclusion and Implication
- The discovery of antibodies against T. equi and B. caballi signals the presence of these infections among horses in the Czech Republic.
- The study suggests that the extensive movement of horses across European countries, together with the expanding distribution of the Dermacentor reticulatus tick (a known vector for these diseases), may increase the risk of localized outbreaks of equine piroplasmosis in the Czech Republic.
Cite This Article
APA
Bělková T, Bártová E, Řičařová D, Jahn P, Jandová V, Modrý D, Hrazdilová K, Sedlák K.
(2021).
Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses in the Czech Republic.
Acta Trop, 221, 105993.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105993 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, Brno, 61242, Czech Republic.
- Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, Brno, 61242, Czech Republic. Electronic address: bartovae@vfu.cz.
- Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, Brno, 61242, Czech Republic.
- Equine Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, Brno, 61242, Czech Republic.
- Veterinary Clinic Heřmanův Městec, Nový dvůr 993, Heřmanův Městec, 538 03, Czech Republic.
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, Brno, 61242, Czech Republic; Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czech Republic; CEITEC-VFU, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, Brno, 612 42, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Medicine, Biomedical Center, Charles University, alej Svobody 1655/76, 323 00 Plzeň, Czech Republic.
- State Veterinary Institute Prague, Sídlištní 136/24, Prague 6-Lysolaje, 165 03, Czech Republic.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Babesia / genetics
- Babesiosis / epidemiology
- Cattle
- Czech Republic / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Theileria / genetics
- Theileriasis / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Daněk O, Hrazdilová K, Kozderková D, Jirků D, Modrý D. The distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus in the Czech Republic re-assessed: citizen science approach to understanding the current distribution of the Babesia canis vector. Parasit Vectors 2022 Apr 18;15(1):132.
- Bylińska K, Rapczyński J, Górski P, Obuch-Woszczatyńska O, Pietrzak D, Korzekwa K, Krzyżowska M, Bąska P. Identification of Hyalomma Ticks on Migratory Birds in Poland During the 2023 and 2024 Spring Seasons. Life (Basel) 2025 Aug 19;15(8).
- Zeng W, Kairat Z, Awulibieer M, Abylay S, Serik K, Yang M, Wang Y, Hazihan W. Molecular detection of piroplasms, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia species in Kazakhstan. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1533589.
- 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).
- Li L, Li S, Ma H, Akhtar MF, Tan Y, Wang T, Liu W, Khan A, Khan MZ, Wang C. An Overview of Infectious and Non-Infectious Causes of Pregnancy Losses in Equine. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 2;14(13).
- 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).
- Eltaysh R, Rizk MA, El-Sayed SAE, Abouelnasr K, Abdallah AA, Igarashi I. Evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo inhibitory effects of Artemisia herba-alba against the growth of piroplasm parasites. J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022 Jun;9(2):267-274.
- 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).
- Villa L, Gazzonis AL, Allievi C, De Maria C, Persichetti MF, Caracappa G, Zanzani SA, Manfredi MT. Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Infections in Horses from Northern Italy. Animals (Basel) 2022 Apr 12;12(8).
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