Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse tests positive for Babesia equi after 5 years in the US
By Holman, P J et al.·Published in Journal of clinical microbiology·1997·Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Case report: field-acquired subclinical Babesia equi infection confirmed by in vitro culture.
- 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.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9003619/