Serosurvey for equine piroplasms in horses and donkeys from North-Western Nigeria using IFAT and ELISA
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Equine piroplasmosis is caused by apicomplexan parasites,
namely, Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, which are transmitted
to equids principally through ticks. To ascertain the exposure of
equines to agents of equine piroplasms, we tested serum samples collected from horses (n = 272) and donkeys (n = 170) in
North-Western Nigeria for the presence of antibodies against
B. caballi and T. equi using IFAT and ELISA. The seroprevalence of
T. equi in the horses determined using IFAT and ELISA was
48.89% and 45.96%, respectively, while for B. caballi, it was
6.3% and 0.4%, respectively. For T. equi, the seroprevalence
based on IFAT and ELISA results in donkeys was 14.1% and
2.9%, respectively, while for B. caballi, the seroprevalence was
2.4% and 0.6%, respectively, for ELISA and IFAT. Mixed infection
detected in the horses using IFAT and ELISA was 5.5% and 0.4%,
respectively, while no mixed infection was observed in the
donkeys. The seroprevalence of T. equi was significantly
(P < .0001) higher than that of B. caballi in both horses and
donkeys. Comparatively, the IFAT detected a greater number of
piroplasm seropositive animals than ELISA, indicating
a difference in their diagnostic accuracy. Findings from this
study confirm the existence of equine piroplasms in both horses
and donkeys in North-Western Nigeria and highlights the need
for robust and effective control measures against the disease.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Horses, donkeys, Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, Nigeria, IFAT, ELISA