Molecular and microscopic detection of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi among working horses and donkeys in Cairo and Giza provinces of Egypt

Abstract Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an ixodid tick-borne disease caused by Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi that can lead to severe health issues and economic losses among equine population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. equi and B. caballi among Egyptian equines based on microscopy and conventional PCR. Also, to determine the effect of season, age, and sex of on their prevalence and determining the difference in sensitivity between microscopy and conventional PCR in the diagnosis of EP. This study was carried out on 432 blood samples randomly collected from 146 horses and 286 donkeys during a period from April 2016 to March 2018. Microscopic examination revealed that among horses, 13 (8.9%) and 4 (2.7%) were infected by T. equi and B. caballi respectively. While among donkeys, 22 (7.7%), 16 (5.6%) respectively. While mixed infections were detected in 4 (1.4%) donkeys. There was a statistically nonsignificant relation between prevalence of infection and season and sex of equines but the highest prevalence was recorded in age group less than 5 years old. By conventional PCR, among 64 horses, 15 (23.4%) and 8 (12.5%) were infected by T. equi and B. caballi, respectively. While among 76 donkeys, 36 (47.4%), 16 (21.1%), and 5 (6.6%) were infected by T. equi, B. caballi, and mixed infection, respectively. Our finding proved the existence of T. equi and B. caballi among equines.