"BAIXADEIROS" HORSES: PREVALENCE OF ANTI-Trypanosoma spp. AND ANTI-Leishmania spp. ANTIBODIES

Abstract

A total of 138 horse blood samples were collected from 2012 to 2013 for the subsequent separation of serum collection. For detection of anti-Leishmania spp. and anti-Trypanosoma spp. antibodies, indirect immunofluorescence reactions and immunoenzymatic assays were performed. Samples with titers ≥40 were considered positive in the indirect immunofluorescence (IFAT), and the cut off for the enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) was calculated with three standard deviations. When tested for Trypanosoma spp., 50.37% (68/135) of the samples were ELISA reagents, 18.84% (8/136) were positive for IFAT and 2.89% (4/138) for both tests. A significant statistical association was observed for the municipality (p = 0.013) and collection period (p = 0.042) in the ELISA. When tested for Leishmania spp., 25.4% (35/138) of the samples were ELISA reagents, 13.00% (18/138) were positive for the IFAT and 4.34% (6/138) were positive for two tests, there were no variables associated with seropositivity. A statistical association (p = 0.0034) was observed between the presence of anti-Trypanosoma spp. and anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies when the ELISA was used. The results suggest that this horse breed is in contact with leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis, which demonstrates the need for a more accurate investigation into the real role of horses in these diseases to assist in disease control measures.

Serological study of American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in working horses and contact dogs in the city of Bandeirantes, Parana

“…In the results of the horses, the seropositivity for LT was higher than in the study by Ferreira et al (2018), who found positivity of 25.4% for indirect ELISAi in the maranhense lowlands and described that the role of horses in the transmission of leishmaniasis is uncertain, but that seroconversion occurs in these animals. The results of seropositivity in this study regarding horses differ from those of Benvenga (2013) in São Paulo, who found much lower positivity of 2.5% of the horses analyzed, although this author used the indirect immunofluorescence technique.…”

Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in blood samples of horses (Equus caballus) and donkeys (Equus asinus) by PCR

“…horses in South America, some epidemiological surveys have shown positive equids to Leishmania spp. by parasitological, molecular and serological methods in Brazil (Figure 1) [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]14,18,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] .…”

Tabanidae (Diptera) captured on horses in the Cerrado biome of Tocantins, Brazil.

“…In contrast, only two cases of vesicular stomatitis were reported in the state, in 2008 (Brasil 2022). Data on equine trypanosomiasis, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma evansi (Steel, 1885) (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), have not been collected in Tocantins, but outbreaks of the disease have been observed in neighbouring states: Mato Grosso (Franke et al 1994), Maranhão ( Ferreira et al 2018), Bahia (Costa et al 2019) and Pará (Silva et al 2016).…”