Article
Molecular and serological detection of Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses and ticks in Maranhão, Brazil
Registro en:
NOGUEIRA, Rita de Maria Seabra; et al. Molecular and serological detection of Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses and ticks in Maranhão, Brazil. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira, v.37, n.12, p.1416-1422, 2017.
0100-736X
10.1590/S0100-736X2017001200010
1678-5150
Autor
Nogueira, Rita de Maria Seabra
Silva, Arannadia Barbosa
Sato, Tayra Pereira
Sá, Joicy Cortez de
Santos, Ana Clara Gomes dos
Amorim Filho, Edvaldo Franco
Vale, Tássia Lopes do
Gazeta, Gilberto Salles
Resumen
Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the intraeytrhocytic protozoans
Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. It has been reported as a main equine parasitic disease.
In addition, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of granulocytic ehrlichiosis,
causes a seasonal disease in horses. Both diseases, can be detrimental to animal health. In
this sense, blood samples and ticks were collected from 97 horses raised in the microregion
of Baixada Maranhense, Maranhão State, Brazil. Serum samples were subjected to Indirect
Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT) and blood samples and ticks to Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) to evaluate the infection by Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and Anaplasma
phagocytophilum. The overall seroprevalence was 38.14%, 18.55% and 11.34% for T. equi,
B. caballi and A. phagocytophilum, respectively. The results of PCR from blood samples showed
13.40% and 3.09% positive samples to T. equi and B. caballi, respectively. A total of
170 tick specimens were collected and identified as Dermacentor nitens, Amblyomma cajennense
sensu lato and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. It was detected 2.35% (4/170)
and 0.59% (1/170) positive tick samples by PCR for T. equi and B. caballi, respectively. All
samples were negative to A. phagocytophilum. No statically difference (p>0.05) was observed
when gender, age, use of ectoparasiticide and tick presence were analyzed. A BLASTn
analysis of the sequenced samples indicated 97 to 100% similarity with T. equi 18S rRNA
gene sequences in GenBank and 98 to 100% with B. caballi. Genetic analysis classified the
obtained sequences as T. equi and B. caballi cluster, respectively. It can be concluded that
these pathogens occur and are circulating in the studied area.