First report of genetic diversity and risk factor analysis of equine piroplasm infection in equids in Jilin, China
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Parasites & Vectors Open Access
RESEARCH
First report of genetic diversity and risk factor analysis of equine piroplasm infection in equids in Jilin, China Shaowei Zhao†, Hao Wang†, Shuang Zhang†, Suzhu Xie, Hang Li, Xuancheng Zhang and Lijun Jia*
Abstract Background: Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease of equids, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis represents a serious challenge to the equine industry due to important economic losses worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in equids from Jilin Province, China. Methods: A total of 220 blood samples (192 horses and 28 donkeys/mules) were collected from March 2018 to October 2019 in five districts of Jilin Province and analyzed by PCR. Potential risk factors, including the region, sex, management, and host species of the animals were assessed in relation to T. equi infection. Moreover, the V4 hypervariable region of the T. equi 18S rRNA gene was analyzed to identify specific genotypes. Results: The overall prevalence of T. equi in equids was 27.7%, whereas B. caballi infection was not identified. The district with the highest positive rate was Baicheng (43.3%), followed by Tonghua (28.9%), Yanbian (26.4%), Jilin (23.3%), and Liaoyuan (20.9%). The sex of the animals and farm management were identified as main risk factors, which were significantly associated with the prevalence of Equine piroplasmosis (P < 0.05). The risk factor analysis indicated that the females were at a higher risk (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.17–5.27) of being infected compared to the males, whereas the organized farm was protective factor (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.22–0.80). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that there were two T. equi genotypes (A and E) in Jilin. Conclusions: Our findings provided important epidemiological data for the prevention and control of T. equi infection in Jilin, China. Keywords: Equine piroplasmosis, Theileria equi, Risk factors, Genetic diversity, Epidemiology Background Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, which causes fever, hemolytic anemia, jaundice, inappetence, and hemoglobinuria in all equid species (horses, donkeys, mules and zebras) [1]. Both *Correspondence: [email protected] † Shaowei Zhao, Hao Wang and Shuang Zhang contributed equally to this work Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture College of Yanbian University, No. 977 Park Road, Yanji 133000, China
hemoparasites are obligate intraerythrocytic protozoans classified within the phylum Apicomplexa, and are primarily transmitted by ixodid ticks belonging to the genera Dermacentor, Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus [2]. Equids infected with T. equi may represent long-term reservoirs, even if they have recovered from an acute or early infection. However, B. caballi causes a self-limiting infection that is naturally cleared by the horse’s immune system a
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