Development of an Indirect ELISA for the Diagnosis of Equine Piroplasmosis

ASENZO, G.; WILKOWSKY, S.; BARRANDEGUY, M.; MESPLET, M.; BENITEZ, D.; JACOBSEN FLORIN-CHRISTENSEN, M.

ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

BLACKWELL PUBLISHING

Año: 2008 vol. 1149 p. 235 - 238

0077-8923

An indrect ELISA (iELISA) for the detection of specific anti-Theileria equi antibodies in horse serum was developed. Its performance showed good concordance (K=0.79) when compared with  a competitive ELISA recommended by the OIE. Horse serum samples from two provinces located in the North and East of Argentina, Formosa and Entre Rios, respectively, were analysed by this iELISA. A high percentage of positive horses were found in the former, consistent with the climatic conditions of the region that are apt for the development of tick vectors. Surprisingly, seropositive animals were also detected, though in a lower proportion, in the latter province, which has a template weather and is presumably tick-free. Breeding of thoroughbred racing horses is an important economic asset of Argentina. Since equine piroplasmosis is a constraint for horse export, the epidemiological situation in different regions of the country needs to be assessed for the implementation of control measures. The iELISA developed in this work provides a convenient tool for this kind of studies.