title: Serological and molecular detection of Theileria equi in sport horses of northeastern Brazil.
abstract: Theileriosis is a worldwide protozoal tick-borne disease caused by Theileria equi, which may produce a variety of clinical signs and turn infected horses into lifetime carriers. This study has aimed to perform a serological and molecular detection of T. equi and associated factors in sports horses from six areas of northeastern Brazil. In overall, 59.6% horses were positive by indirect immunofluorescence assay and 50.4% by polymerase chain reaction. No significant association was found when presence of ticks, age, gender, anemia or total plasma proteins was analyzed with seropositivity and molecular techniques. Although a significant association of infection was found in two cities. Thus, local risk factors other than presence of ticks, horse age, gender, anemia and total plasmatic proteins may dictate prevalence of T. equi infection in sports horses, even in highly endemic areas with no control of infection prior to horse competitions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edlainne P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, 86051-990, Brazil.
authors.forename: Odilon
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vidotto
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious-Contagious Diseases of Domestic Animals, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52171-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jonatas C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luana P S
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Walter H C
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Pequeno
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danilo T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Stipp
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Celso J B
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 80035-050, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexander W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Biondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 80035-050, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thállitha S W J
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 80035-050, Brazil. Electronic address: rvieira@ufpr.br.
authors.forename: Rafael F C
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Vieira
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D006736:Horses / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013177:Sports; D016794:Theileria / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013801:Theileriasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins
keywords: Equine piroplasmosis; IFA; PCR; Theileria equi