Serosurvey for equine piroplasms in horses and donkeys from North-Western Nigeria using IFAT and ELISA.

Abstract

Equine piroplasmosis is caused by apicomplexan parasites, namely,and, which are transmitted to equids principally through ticks. To ascertain the exposure of equines to agents of equine piroplasms, we tested serum samples collected from horses (n&#xa0;=&#xa0;272) and donkeys (n&#xa0;=&#xa0;170) in North-Western Nigeria for the presence of antibodies againstandusing IFAT and ELISA. The seroprevalence ofin the horses determined using IFAT and ELISA was 48.89% and 45.96%, respectively, while for, it was 6.3% and 0.4%, respectively. For, the seroprevalence based on IFAT and ELISA results in donkeys was 14.1% and 2.9%, respectively, while for, the seroprevalence was 2.4% and 0.6%, respectively, for ELISA and IFAT. Mixed infection detected in the horses using IFAT and ELISA was 5.5% and 0.4%, respectively, while no mixed infection was observed in the donkeys. The seroprevalence ofwas significantly (<&#xa0;.0001) higher than that ofin both horses and donkeys. Comparatively, the IFAT detected a greater number of piroplasm seropositive animals than ELISA, indicating a difference in their diagnostic accuracy. Findings from this study confirm the existence of equine piroplasms in both horses and donkeys in North-Western Nigeria and highlights the need for robust and effective control measures against the disease.