title: Horses naturally infected by Trypanosoma vivax in southern Brazil.
abstract: In this study, we reported the first outbreak of the infection by Trypanosoma vivax in horses in southern Brazil, a non-endemic region where bovines have only recently been found infected by this trypanosome species. We evaluated 12 horses from a farm in southern Brazil, where four horses displayed pale mucous membranes, fever, weight loss, and swelling of abdomen, prepuce, or vulva. The diagnosis of T. vivax was confirmed in four horses by morphological parameters of trypomastigotes in blood smears and species-specific PCR. All T. vivax-infected animals showed anemia, and most showed increased levels of beta-1, beta-2, and gamma globulins. Horses were treated with diminazene aceturate, but cure was not achieved, and the disease relapsed after therapy. These findings demonstrated that Brazilian T. vivax isolates, which were already reported infecting cattle, buffaloes, goats, and sheep, can be highly pathogenic for horses, causing severe disease and even death of the animals due to the recurrence of the infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Faixa de Camobi-Km 9, Campus Universitário, Prédio 20, Sala 4232, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, 97105-900. aleksandro_ss@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Aleksandro S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.forename: Herakles A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Garcia Perez
authors.forename: Márcio M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Raqueli T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: França
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Gasperi
authors.forename: Régis A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zanette
authors.forename: João A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Amado
authors.forename: Sonia T A
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Marta M G
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Silvia G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D006736:Horses / Q000469:parasitology*; D012712:Serum Globulins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D016689:Trypanosoma vivax / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D012712:Serum Globulins
references.citation: Trop Anim Health Prod. 1994 May;26(2):95-101
references.pmid: 7941037
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 2001 Nov 5;101(2):101-14
references.pmid: 11587839
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2006 Nov;101(7):801-7
references.pmid: 17160291
references.citation: BMC Vet Res. 2008 Feb 20;4:7
references.pmid: 18289378
references.citation: Parasitology. 2010 Jan;137(1):111-22
references.pmid: 19765336
references.citation: Mol Cell Probes. 2009 Feb;23(1):44-51
references.pmid: 19063960
references.citation: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1972 Mar;66(1):25-32
references.pmid: 5021570
references.citation: Exp Parasitol. 1995 May;80(3):407-18
references.pmid: 7729476
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 2009 Oct 28;165(1-2):41-6
references.pmid: 19628334
references.citation: Vet Clin Pathol. 2009 Mar;38(1):73-7
references.pmid: 19171019
references.citation: Parasitology. 2006 Aug;133(Pt 2):159-69
references.pmid: 16650339
references.citation: Exp Parasitol. 2001 Sep;99(1):37-48
references.pmid: 11708832
references.citation: Prev Vet Med. 2006 Aug 17;75(3-4):152-62
references.pmid: 16814418
references.citation: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1998 Nov;42(11):2858-62
references.pmid: 9797216
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 1984 Sep;15(3-4):181-5
references.pmid: 6541835
references.citation: Zentralbl Veterinarmed B. 1983 Dec;30(10):717-41
references.pmid: 6367315
references.citation: Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2010 Mar;10(1):71-82
references.pmid: 20158497
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 1999 Aug 16;85(1):87-93
references.pmid: 10447196
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 2009 Oct 28;165(1-2):131-5
references.pmid: 19665308
references.citation: Trends Parasitol. 2001 Feb;17(2):99-101
references.pmid: 11228017
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2008 Feb;103(1):1-13
references.pmid: 18368231
references.citation: Parasitology. 1977 Oct;75(2):143-53
references.pmid: 583635
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 2007 Jan 31;143(2):174-81
references.pmid: 16965857
references.citation: Acta Trop. 1988 Dec;45(4):389-432
references.pmid: 2907267
references.citation: Int J Parasitol. 1998 Feb;28(2):219-40
references.pmid: 9512986
references.citation: Vet Parasitol. 2008 Jul 4;154(3-4):233-41
references.pmid: 18450381
references.citation: Int J Parasitol. 2002 Jan;32(1):53-63
references.pmid: 11796122
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1996 Sep-Oct;91(5):561-2
references.pmid: 9137742