scholarly journals Transplacental Transmission of Theileria equi Is Not a Common Cause of Abortions and Infection of Foals in Israel

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Tirosh-Levy ◽  
Yuval Gottlieb ◽  
Lea Mimoun ◽  
Monica L. Mazuz ◽  
Amir Steinman

Although the main route of transmission of Theileria equi is through tick feeding, transplacental transmission is also possible and may lead to abortion, or to the birth of a sick or carrier foal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of T. equi as a cause of abortions in Israel and the risk of foals being infected at a young age. Eight aborting mares were serologically evaluated for exposure to T. equi via the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and their aborted fetuses were evaluated using PCR and qPCR. In addition, five mares and their foals (aged 4–6 months) from a highly endemic farm were tested for T. equi infection using IFAT, PCR and qPCR. Five of the eight aborting mares were seropositive for T. equi; however, none of the aborted fetuses was infected. All five mares from the endemic farm were subclinically infected with T. equi. Of their five foals, one was infected, with relatively high parasitemia and different parasite genotype than its dam’s, suggesting another source of infection. The results of this study suggest that transplacental transmission of T. equi is not common and does not appear to be a prominent cause of abortion in chronically infected mares.

Author(s):  
Juliana Galera Castilho ◽  
Flávia Marchizeli Canello ◽  
Karin Corrêa Scheffer ◽  
Samira Maria Achkar ◽  
Maria Luiza Carrieri ◽  
...  

Although the main transmitters of rabies in Brazil are dogs and vampire bats, the role of other species such as insectivorous and frugivorous bats deserves special attention, as the rabies virus has been isolated from 36 bat species. This study describes the first isolation of the rabies virus from the insectivorous bat Eumops perotis. The infected animal was found in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. The virus was identified by immunofluorescence antibody test (FAT) in central nervous system (CNS) samples, and the isolation was carried out in N2A cell culture and adult mice. The sample was submitted to antigenic typing using a panel of monoclonal antibodies (CDC/Atlanta/USA). The DNA sequence of the nucleoprotein gene located between nucleotides 102 and 1385 was aligned with homologous sequences from GenBank using the CLUSTAL/W method, and the alignment was used to build a neighbor-joining distance-based phylogenetic tree with the K-2-P model. CNS was negative by FAT, and only one mouse died after inoculation with a suspension from the bat's CNS. Antigenic typing gave a result that was not compatible with the patterns defined by the panel. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus isolated segregated into the same cluster related to other viruses isolated from insectivorous bats belonging to genus Nyctinomops ssp. (98.8% nucleotide identity with each other).


Parasitology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 134 (7) ◽  
pp. 939-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. RÜEGG ◽  
P. TORGERSON ◽  
P. DEPLAZES ◽  
A. MATHIS

SUMMARYEpidemiological factors of tick-borne equine piroplasmoses, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, were investigated using logistic regression (GLM) and general additive models (GAM) based on the prevalences determined in 510 domestic horses and in ticks in S.W. Mongolia by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and/or multiplex PCR. Prevalences of T. equi and B. caballi in horses were 66·5% (95% CI: 62·1–70·7) and 19·1% (15·6–22·9), respectively by PCR and 78·8% (74·9–82·3) and 65·7% (61·3–69·9) by IFAT. Of 166 ticks analysed from PCR- and IFAT-negative horses 1 was PCR positive for B. caballi and none for T. equi. GAM demonstrated non-linear increasing proportions of T. equi-PCR and -IFAT positive horses with age suggesting persistent infection. In contrast, the B. caballi-PCR prevalence decreased with age despite a concurrent increase in the proportion of IFAT-positive animals suggesting parasite elimination. The tick (Dermacentor nuttalli) burden of the horses increased with age and decreased with advancing season. Geldings were more likely to be infected with, and seroconvert to, T. equi. Neither herd affiliation, date of sample collection nor abundance of tick infestation had a significant influence on parasite prevalence.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Yuki Rodrigues ◽  
Arleana do Bom Parto Ferreira de Almeida ◽  
Eveline da Cruz Boa Sorte ◽  
Naiani Domingos Gasparetto ◽  
Felipe Augusto Constantino Seabra da Cruz ◽  
...  

Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan with worldwide distribution and dogs act as sentinels of human infection. This search aimed to determine the occurrence of antibodies against T. gondii in dogs of the communities on the Cuiabá River, Mato Grosso and variables associated with infection. The dogs of the riverside communities in Cuiabá River, which includes Barranco Alto, Praia do Poço, Engenho Velho, Varginha, Bom Sucesso, Passagem da Conceição and São Gonçalo Beira Rio, were evaluated for the presence of T. gondii antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). The prevalence and factors associated with infection were calculated by chi-squared test (χ2) or Fisher’s exact test, and univariate and multiple analysis. Of the 248 dogs surveyed, 107 (43.1%) were seropositive for T. gondii. The seroprevalence ranged from 25.6% to 64.3%. There was no statistically significant difference between the communities studied (p > 0.05). As for the associated factors, the only statistically significant factor was that of dogs living with cats (p = 0.02), with approximately twice the risk of acquiring infection. In conclusion, the seroprevalence in dogs of riverside communities in the Baixada Cuiabana demonstrated that high rates of infection, being the factor associated with infection, contact with domestic cats.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Regina Fonseca de Araújo Valença ◽  
Müller Ribeiro-Andrade ◽  
Gastón Moré ◽  
Pedro Paulo Feitosa de Albuquerque ◽  
José Wilton Pinheiro Júnior ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of infection by Sarcocystis neurona in horses and identify potential risk factors. Were analyzed 427 samples from 36 farms in 21 municipalities in the Alagoas State, Brazil. Presence of anti-S. neurona antibodies was diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and was confirmed using the immunoblot test. Risk factors were assessed through investigative questionnaires on animal management on the farms. The prevalence of anti-S.neurona antibodies was 2.8% (confidence interval, CI: 1.5-4.9%) from IFAT and 1.6% (CI:0.8-3.34%) from immunoblot, and there were positive horses on 16.6% of the studied farms. None of the variables studied presented associations with serological status for S. neurona. This is the first report on infection by S. neurona in horses reared in Alagoas, Brazil showing a low exposure to S. neurona in this region, but with significant numbers of foci.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Abrahams-Sandi ◽  
Paolo Mesén-Ramírez ◽  
Dimelsa Suarez-Chacón ◽  
Katherine Fernández-Quesada

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 962
Author(s):  
Monica Leszkowicz Mazuz ◽  
Lea Mimoun ◽  
Gili Schvartz ◽  
Sharon Tirosh-Levy ◽  
Igor Savitzki ◽  
...  

In horses, Neospora caninum and Neospora hughesi have been associated with fetal loss, and neurological disease, respectively. This study investigated the role of Neospora spp. infection in equine abortion in Israel. The presence of anti-Neospora spp. antibodies was evaluated in 31 aborting mares by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and the presence of parasite DNA in their aborted fetuses was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using two target loci (ITS1 and Nc5). The seroprevalence found in aborting mares was 70.9% and the prevalence by DNA detection in the aborted fetuses was 41.9%. Transplacental transmission from positive mares to their fetuses was 45.4% (10/22), while 33.3% (3/9) of fetuses of seronegative mares also tested positive for Neospora. The use of two PCR targets improved the sensitivity of parasite detection, and positive samples were identified by sequence analyses as N. caninum. These finding suggest that N. caninum could be a significant cause of abortion in horses, and that transplacental transmission in horses is an important way of transmission of N.caninum. The results presented here demonstrated the necessity to use several tests concurrently, including serological and molecular assays in order to confirm the involvement of Neospora in mare abortions.


Parasitology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (14) ◽  
pp. 1895-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. L. WILLIAMS ◽  
C. S. HARTLEY ◽  
C. BJÖRKMAN ◽  
A. J. TREES

SUMMARYVertical transmission of the protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum is highly efficient and can take two forms – endogenous transplacental transmission resulting from activation of the quiescent bradyzoite stage during pregnancy or exogenous transplacental transmission resulting from ingestion of oocysts during pregnancy. Calves born carrying infection derived from either endogenous or exogenous transplacental transmission are capable of infecting their offspring when they start to breed. This review considers firstly the frequency with which exogenous and endogenous transmission occur, secondly the role of the immune response in controlling N. caninum infection and thirdly how the parasite persists in an immune-competent host and is re-activated during pregnancy.


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