title: A comparison of coprological, serological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of horse infection with Anoplocephala perfoliata (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea).
abstract: Anoplocephala perfoliata (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea), the commonest intestinal tapeworm of horses, can cause colic, intussusceptions, ileal impactions and intestinal perforations. Common diagnostic techniques for A. perfoliata infection, i.e. coprology and serology, show inherent limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity and new approaches are thus required. Hence, the present study compared the reliability of coprological, serological (i.e. ELISA) and molecular (i.e. nested PCR) methods in detecting A. perfoliata infection in naturally infected horses and in horses treated with a combination of ivermectin and praziquantel. Of 42 horses subjected to coprological examination, 16 and 26 resulted negative and positive, respectively for the presence of A. perfoliata eggs at the coprological examination. The 26 coprologically positive animals were also positive by nested PCR. Fifteen out of the 16 horses coprologically negative were negative at the molecular assay, while one yielded a PCR product detectable on an agarose gel. Eighteen out of 26 positive horses were treated with a combination of ivermectin 18.7 mg/g and praziquantel 140.3mg/g and resulted subsequently negative by coprology and nested PCR performed 2 weeks after treatment. All infected and untreated animals had a high ELISA test optical density indicating high infection intensity and associated risk of colic. However, high optical density values were also obtained in four horses post-treatment and in three horses that were negative on molecular and coprological analysis. The results of the present work indicate that the nested PCR assay represents a valid method for the specific molecular detection of A. perfoliata in faecal samples collected from naturally infected horses and may have advantages over coprological and serological approaches for diagnosing A. perfoliata infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Italy.
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traversa
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fichi
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campigli
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rondolotti
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iorio
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Proudman
authors.forename: Duccio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perrucci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002589:Cestoda / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006736:Horses; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D011223:Praziquantel; D007559:Ivermectin