title: Seroprevalence of equine piroplasms in the Republic of Korea.
abstract: Equine piroplasms include two tick-borne protozoan parasites, Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. Although no clinical equine piroplasmosis has been reported in the Republic of Korea, the possible existence of the disease has been proposed due to a nationwide distribution of the vector ticks. To determine if the antibodies against B. caballi and T. equi were present, 184 sera of horses (Equus caballus) raised in the Republic of Korea from 2007 to 2010 were assessed using cELISA kits. Two (1.1%) out of 184 sera were positive for T. equi, but none were seropositive for B. caballi. Both samples tested positive came from one region (Gyeonggi province). The accuracy of the cELISA was confirmed by PCR using primers specific to the 18S rRNA of T. equi. This study presents for the first time horses infected by T. equi in the Republic of Korea. Since the infection of T. equi occurred in horses raised in the Republic of Korea, further studies with continuous monitoring of the vector ticks for equine piroplasms and appropriate control programs need to be established.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Goo
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Sun-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Seong-Kyoon
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Gil-Jae
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yong-Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Oh-Deog
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Kwang-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Tae-Hwan
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyu-Shik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Sang-Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Sam
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Dongmi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kwak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006736:Horses; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan