Genetic diversity of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infecting horses of Central-Southern Italy and preliminary results of its correlation with clinical and serological status

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
Giuseppe MannaMaria Teresa Scicluna

Abstract

Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are tick-borne pathogens causing equine piroplasmosis infecting the Equidae family in which they cause significant sanitary and economic losses. Furthermore, equine piroplasmosis is included in the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) notifiable diseases list with possible movement restrictions for positive horses. Thirty-nine EDTA and whole-blood samples collected during 2013 and 2014 from symptomatic and asymptomatic horses of Central-Southern Italy were included in the present study either because of their strongly positive results in Real Time (RT) PCRs targeting the 18S rRNA gene specific for each piroplasm and/or due to their serological ELISA/18S rRNA RT-PCR discordant results. A nested PCR amplifying the hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene of both piroplasms was performed on all samples. T. equi positive samples were also analysed with a PCR targeting the equi merozoite antigen 1-gene (EMA-1). The sequences obtained were thirty for T. equi, 25 of which were for the hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene and 13 for the EMA-1 gene, with eight samples positive for both targets, while only six 18S rRNA gene sequences were retrieved for B. caballi. The phylogenetic analysis...Continue Reading

Citations

Jan 19, 2019·The Veterinary Record·Agnès Leblond
Dec 18, 2019·Transboundary and Emerging Diseases·Robert M CoultousWilliam Weir
Feb 23, 2020·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Idoko Sunday IdokoAmir Steinman
May 19, 2019·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·ThankGod E OnyicheOriel Thekisoe
Aug 8, 2021·Microorganisms·Luciana Cătălina PanaitAndrei Daniel Mihalca

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Babesiosis (ASM)

Babesiosis is caused by parasites of the genus babesia, which are transmitted in nature by the bite of an infected tick. Discover the latest research on babesiosis here.

Babesiosis

Babesiosis is caused by parasites of the genus babesia, which are transmitted in nature by the bite of an infected tick. Discover the latest research on babesiosis here.