Purpose

Piroplasmosis is responsible for anemia, fever, loss of physical activity and even death in equines. In epidemiological studies, accurate diagnostic tests are essential for detecting asymptomatic carriers. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of infection in asymptomatic horses from Lorestan province, western Iran by developing a multiplex PCR.

Methods and results

Blood samples were examined by microscopy and multiplex PCR targeting the SSU rRNA gene of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Out of the total of 165 horses, 19 (11.51%) and 31 (18.78%) cases were positive for piroplasms by microscopy and PCR, respectively. The detection rates of both genera were significantly higher in multiplex PCR compared to microscopy (p < 0.0001). Compared with multiplex PCR, the sensitivities of microscopy for the detection of Babesia were only 28.5%. The prevalence of T. equi infection was significantly higher in summer (p = 0.035). The prevalence of B. caballi was significantly higher in males (p = 0.038).

Conclusion

Findings indicate that the multiplex PCR described here is a sensitive technique for the detection of piroplasm DNA in carriers. Furthermore, asymptomatic carriers must be considered as an important source of infection for equids living in this region.

中文翻译：

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伊朗西部无症状马匹的马梨形虫病：显微镜检查与多重 PCR 的比较

目的

梨形虫病会导致马贫血、发烧、体力活动丧失，甚至死亡。在流行病学研究中，准确的诊断测试对于检测无症状携带者至关重要。本研究旨在通过开发多重 PCR 技术来调查伊朗西部洛雷斯坦省无症状马的感染流行情况。

方法和结果

通过显微镜和针对马泰勒虫和巴贝虫的 SSU rRNA 基因的多重 PCR 来检查血液样本。在总共 165 匹马中，显微镜检查和 PCR 检测结果分别为 19 匹（11.51%）和 31 匹（18.78%）梨原体阳性。与显微镜相比，多重 PCR 中两个属的检出率均显着更高 (p < 0.0001)。与多重PCR相比，显微镜检测巴贝虫的灵敏度仅为28.5%。马虫感染率在夏季显着较高（p = 0.035）。男性中B. caballi的患病率显着较高 (p = 0.038)。

结论

研究结果表明，此处描述的多重 PCR 是检测载体中梨质 DNA 的灵敏技术。此外，无症状携带者必须被视为生活在该地区的马科动物的重要感染源。