Seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in the Swiss horse population

Sigg, Liv; Gerber, Vinzenz; Gottstein, Bruno; Doherr, Marcus; Frey, Caroline (2010). Seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in the Swiss horse population. Parasitology international, 59(3), pp. 313-7. Amsterdam: Elsevier 10.1016/j.parint.2010.02.005

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In Switzerland, the prevalence and incidence of equine piroplasma parasite (EPP) infections are unknown. In order to obtain a first insight into the prevalence, a representative sample of 689 sera of horses from Switzerland was serologically tested for the presence of antibodies directed against T. equi and B. caballi using the Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT). A total of 50 (7.3%) horses were seropositive for EPP: overall, the seroprevalence of T. equi was significantly higher than that of B. caballi (p=0.002). The seropositivities in indigenous horses (animals bred and raised in Switzerland) and in imported horses were 4.8% (11/230) and 8.5% (39/459), respectively. Unlike in indigenous horses, where no significant difference in seroprevalences could be observed between the two parasite species, the seroprevalence of T. equi was significantly higher (p<0.001) than that of B. caballi in imported horses. Horses imported from France, Spain and Portugal exhibited a significantly higher seroprevalence, and horses imported from Germany a significantly lower seroprevalence of EPP compared to indigenous horses. There were no associations between sex, age, weight loss, surgery or blood transfusions with T. equi and B. caballi seroprevalences. The overall seroprevalence of 7.3% clearly shows that infection with EPP is a threat to the health of the horses in Switzerland. With the presumed expansion of permissive tick vectors, EPP infections will potentially increase in importance in the future. Therefore, continuous monitoring is mandatory.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP) > Institute of Parasitology
05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > Host-Pathogen Interaction
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > ISME Equine Clinic Bern > ISME Equine Clinic, Internal medicine
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV)
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Public Health Institute
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP)
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)

UniBE Contributor:

Sigg, Liv, Gerber, Vinzenz, Gottstein, Bruno, Doherr, Marcus, Frey Marreros Canales, Caroline Franziska

Subjects:

600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

1383-5769

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:36

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:21

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.parint.2010.02.005

PubMed ID:

20178863

Web of Science ID:

000281461500002

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.14301

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/14301 (FactScience: 221196)

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