Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Case report: field-acquired subclinical Babesia equi infection confirmed by in vitro culture.
- Journal:
- Journal of clinical microbiology
- Year:
- 1997
- Authors:
- Holman, P J et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A horse that had no previous health issues tested negative for two types of blood parasites, Babesia caballi and Babesia equi, before coming to the United States from France. After living in the U.S. for five years, the horse was tested again and found to be positive for Babesia equi using several different tests. The presence of the parasite was confirmed by growing it in a lab. This method of testing is both effective and cost-efficient for checking if horses might carry this parasite.
Abstract
A horse with no prior clinical history of equine piroplasmosis tested negative for Babesia caballi and Babesia equi in the complement fixation test before importation into the United States from France. After 5 years in residence in the United States, the animal tested serologically positive for B. equi by the complement fixation test, the immunofluorescent antibody test, and Western blot analysis. The carrier status of the horse was confirmed by culture of B. equi parasites. In vitro culture offers an efficient and comparatively inexpensive method to determine the carrier status of horses suspected of harboring B. equi.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9003619/