Issue |
Parasite
Volume 20, 2013
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 29 | |
Number of page(s) | 5 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2013029 | |
Published online | 10 September 2013 |
Short Note
Prevalence of antibodies to Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi in horses from Mexico
Prévalence d’anticorps contre Sarcocystis neurona et Neospora hughesi chez des chevaux du Mexique
1
Department of Veterinary Science, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546-0099, USA
2
Faculty of Medicine and Nutrition, Biomedical Research Laboratory, Juárez University of Durango State, Avenida Universidad S/N, 34000 Durango, Mexico
3
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350, USA
* Corresponding author: dkhowe2@uky.edu
Received:
17
June
2013
Accepted:
27
August
2013
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating disease of horses caused by Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi. Sera from 495 horses in Durango State, Mexico were tested for anti-protozoal antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on major surface antigens of these two parasites. Antibodies to S. neurona were detected in 240 (48.5%) of the 495 horse sera tested with the rSnSAG2/4/3 trivalent ELISA. Multivariate analysis showed that exposure to S. neurona was associated with age, feeding grains and crops, and small herd size. Antibodies to N. hughesi were found in 15 (3.0%) of the 495 horse sera tested with the rNhSAG1 ELISA and confirmed by Western blot of N. hughesi tachyzoite antigen. This is the first report of S. neurona and N. hughesi exposure in horses in Mexico, and it affirms that EPM should be in the differential diagnosis for horses exhibiting signs of neurologic disease in this country.
Résumé
La myélencéphalite équine à protozoaires (MEP) est une maladie débilitante des chevaux causée par Sarcocystis neurona et Neospora hughesi. Les sérums de 495 chevaux de l’État de Durango, Mexique, ont été testés pour les anticorps anti-protozoaires en utilisant des tests d’immuno-absorption enzymatique (ELISA) basés sur les antigènes de surface majeurs de ces deux parasites. Les anticorps contre S. neurona ont été détectés dans 240 (48,5 %) des sérums de chevaux testés avec ELISA contre rSnSAG2/4/3 trivalent. L’analyse multivariée a montré que l’exposition à S. neurona est associée avec l’âge, le nourrissage aux céréales et récoltes, et la taille des hordes. Les anticorps contre N. hughesi ont été trouvés dans 15 (3,0 %) des 495 sérums de chevaux testés avec ELISA contre rNhSAG1 et confirmés par western blot de l’antigène des tachyzoïtes de N. hughesi. Ceci est la première mention d’une exposition à S. neurona et N. hughesi chez des chevaux au Mexique, et montre que la MEP devrait être incluse dans le diagnostic différentiel des chevaux montrant des signes de maladies neurologiques dans ce pays.
Key words: Seroprevalence / Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis / ELISA / Central America / Surface antigens
© M.R. Yeargan et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2013
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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