Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are protozoan parasites that cause equine piroplasmosis.They are transmitted principally through the saliva of infected ticks to a horse during blood feeding by hard ticks such as Dermacentor, Ixodes, and Rhicicephalus.
Clinical manifestations of piroplasmosis include fever and anemia. Horses infected by Anaplasma phagocytophilum often show symptoms similar to piroplasmosis and the diagnosis of anaplasmosis is often ignored. Therefore, analysis of the blood is necessary for accurate diagnosis.
Acute forms of these diseases could result in the death of the horse in less than 72 hours, and thus an accurate diagnosis followed by an appropriate treatment is essential.
STANDARD DIAGNOSTIC PROTOCOL
During the acute phase of infection, equine fever syndromes could be diagnosed through the use of the following methods:
Serological tests (conducted 2 weeks after infection to verify seroconversion)
Direct tests : Identification of the pathogen or its genome
For an optimal efficiency, it is recommended to use several methods that are complementary to each
other.
Epona tests are molecular tests that detect the DNA of the pathogen directly and can be used at the very beginning of infection,
even before symptoms appear. The sensitivity of Epona tests are equivalent to that of PCR and test results can be obtained in 30 minutes.
Imidocarb dipropionate is a medication not approved for use in equines by regulation agencies. Its administration in a horse can have grave side effects including spasms, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases it can result in the death of the animal. This medication should only be used when the diagnosis of piroplasmosis is made with utmost certainty.
Anaplasmosis is often under-diagnosed and should be treated with antibiotics instead of imidocarb dipropionate. Therefore it is crucial to differentiate anaplasmosis from piroplasmosis during diagnosis.
There are currently no vaccines against piroplasmosis or anaplasmosis. Hereare a few suggestions that may be helpful in reducing the occurrence of these
diseases:
