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Pathogens
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Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis
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Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 13780

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carlos E. Suárez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Animal Disease Research Unit, ARS-USDA, Pullman, WA. USA 2. Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, USA
Interests: vaccine development; detection of Babesiosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Reginaldo G. Bastos

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, USA
Interests: diagnosis of Babesia and Theileria parasites; tick–host–pathogen interactions; immunology; innate and cellular immune responses to apicomplexan hemoparasites; vaccine development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bovine babesiosis and equine piroplasmosis remain poorly controlled diseases, limiting the development of cattle industries and equestrian sport activities worldwide. These diseases are caused by tick-borne protozoan apicomplexan parasites of the genus Babesia and Theileria spp. This Special Issue will focus on the detection and control strategies of bovine babesiosis and equine piroplasmosis.

The diversity of causative agents, together with increased geographical range of vector ticks due to climatic change and the increasing invasion of wild life habitats by humans, among other factors, underscore the importance of the development of novel methods for the diagnosis and control of these important tick-borne diseases of global impact. 

Efficient control of bovine babesiosis and equine piroplasmosis require the use of reliable detection methods, which in turn influence decisions on the application of distinct approaches for controlling the disease, including pharmacological, vaccine, vector control, animal management, and other interventions. Thus, detection of these diseases using microscopic, molecular, and serological methods plays fundamental roles in staging control measures. Molecular and serological methods for diagnosis evolve and improve constantly in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and convenience. Similarly, novel approaches for live and subunit vaccine development, as well as other approaches for controlling these diseases, also increase at a fast pace, as our knowledge of the host–parasite interactions, parasite metabolism, and protective immune mechanisms improves. In this Special Issue, we aim at publishing a collection of carefully peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts describing the development and application of novel methods for the diagnosis of the diseases, the discovery of emerging Babesia and Theileria parasites affecting cattle and horses, as well as studies describing novel approaches for the control of these devastating and poorly controlled diseases. However, other closely related studies in the field are also welcomed.

We are excited to welcome all authors in the field to contribute with original research and review studies that may improve our ability to detect and control bovine babesiosis and equine piroplasmosis.

Dr. Carlos E. Suárez
Guest Editor
Dr. Reginaldo G. Bastos
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Bovine babesiosis
  • Equine piroplasmosis
  • Host–parasite interactions
  • parasite metabolism

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 872 KiB  
Article
Tulathromycin and Diclazuril Lack Efficacy against Theileria haneyi, but Tulathromycin Is Not Associated with Adverse Clinical Effects in Six Treated Adult Horses
by Cynthia K. Onzere, Morgan Hulbert, Kelly P. Sears, Laura B. A. Williams and Lindsay M. Fry
Pathogens 2023, 12(3), 453; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030453 - 14 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1468
Abstract
Equine theileriosis, caused by Theileria haneyi and Theileria equi, leads to anemia, exercise intolerance, and occasionally, death. Theileriosis-free countries prohibit the importation of infected horses, resulting in significant costs for the equine industry. Imidocarb dipropionate is the only treatment for T. equi [...] Read more.
Equine theileriosis, caused by Theileria haneyi and Theileria equi, leads to anemia, exercise intolerance, and occasionally, death. Theileriosis-free countries prohibit the importation of infected horses, resulting in significant costs for the equine industry. Imidocarb dipropionate is the only treatment for T. equi in the United States, but lacks efficacy against T. haneyi. The goal of this study was to assess the in vivo efficacy of tulathromycin and diclazuril against T. haneyi. Fourteen T. haneyi-infected horses were utilized. Six were treated with eight weekly 2.5 mg/kg doses of tulathromycin. Three were treated daily for eight weeks with 2.5 mg/kg diclazuril. Three were pre-treated with 0.5 mg/kg diclazuril daily for one month to determine whether low-dose diclazuril prevents infection. Following infection, the dose was increased to 2.5 mg/kg for eight weeks. Two infected horses remained untreated as controls. The horses were assessed via nested PCR, physical exams, complete blood counts, serum chemistry panels, and cytology. Tulathromycin and diclazuril failed to clear T. haneyi and the treated and control groups exhibited similar parasitemia and packed cell volume declines. To obtain additional safety data on tulathromycin use in adult horses, necropsy and histopathology were performed on tulathromycin-treated horses. No significant lesions were detected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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20 pages, 1440 KiB  
Article
Comparative Degradome Analysis of the Bovine Piroplasmid Pathogens Babesia bovis and Theileria annulata
by Tomás Javier Poklepovich, Maria Mesplet, Romina Gallenti, Monica Florin-Christensen and Leonhard Schnittger
Pathogens 2023, 12(2), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12020237 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1641
Abstract
Babesia bovis and Theileria annulata are tick-borne hemoprotozoans that impact bovine health and are responsible for considerable fatalities in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Both pathogens infect the same vertebrate host, are closely related, and contain similar-sized genomes; however, they differ [...] Read more.
Babesia bovis and Theileria annulata are tick-borne hemoprotozoans that impact bovine health and are responsible for considerable fatalities in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Both pathogens infect the same vertebrate host, are closely related, and contain similar-sized genomes; however, they differ in invertebrate host specificity, absence vs. presence of a schizont stage, erythrocyte invasion mechanism, and transovarial vs. transstadial transmission. Phylogenetic analysis and bidirectional best hit (BBH) identified a similar number of aspartic, metallo, and threonine proteinases and nonproteinase homologs. In contrast, a considerably increased number of S54 serine rhomboid proteinases and S9 nonproteinase homologs were identified in B. bovis, whereas C1A cysteine proteinases and A1 aspartic nonproteinase homologs were found to be expanded in T. annulata. Furthermore, a single proteinase of families S8 (subtilisin-like protein) and C12 (ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase), as well as four nonproteinase homologs, one with dual domains M23-M23 and three with S9-S9, were exclusively present in B. bovis. Finally, a pronounced difference in species-specific ancillary domains was observed between both species. We hypothesize that the observed degradome differences represent functional correlates of the dissimilar life history features of B. bovis and T. annulata. The presented improved classification of piroplasmid proteinases will facilitate an informed choice for future in-depth functional studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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10 pages, 948 KiB  
Communication
Seroprevalence of Anti-Theileria equi Antibodies in Horses from Three Geographically Distinct Areas of Romania
by Simona Giubega, Marius Stelian Ilie, Iasmina Luca, Tiana Florea, Cristian Dreghiciu, Ion Oprescu, Sorin Morariu and Gheorghe Dărăbuș
Pathogens 2022, 11(6), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11060669 - 9 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1583
Abstract
Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an endemic tick-borne disease found in most countries around the world. It affects all species of Equidae, and it is caused by Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and T. haneyi. The research herein is the second study on the [...] Read more.
Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is an endemic tick-borne disease found in most countries around the world. It affects all species of Equidae, and it is caused by Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and T. haneyi. The research herein is the second study on the prevalence of piroplasms in Romania conducted in the past two decades. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Theileria equi antibodies and the geographical distribution of this disease in the southwest, west, and northwest regions of Romania in order to obtain a more thorough understanding of the parasitological status of horses in this country. This study included 522 apparently healthy, mixed-breed horses from three different counties. The serum samples were analysed using the cELISA Theileria equi Antibody Test Kit. The overall seroprevalence rate was 12.84%. From the total number of positive horses, 13.96% were females and 11.21% were males. Based on the distribution of positive cases into age groups, the following values were obtained: 0–60 months: 16.26%, 60–180 months: 10.03%, and >180 months: 15.83%. There was no statistically significant difference between samples, based on age or gender. The positivity percentage in the localities included in the study ranged from 8.33 to 100%. In the population under study, the seroprevalence rate was high, indicating a possible exposure risk in this area of Romania, which could have severe effects on equids in the case of clinical manifestations of the disease. EP represents a serious threat for equine health in Romania; therefore, close and continuous monitoring of the situation is required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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17 pages, 2268 KiB  
Article
Unraveling the Complexity of the Rhomboid Serine Protease 4 Family of Babesia bovis Using Bioinformatics and Experimental Studies
by Romina Gallenti, Hala E. Hussein, Heba F. Alzan, Carlos E. Suarez, Massaro Ueti, Sebastián Asurmendi, Daniel Benitez, Flabio R. Araujo, Peter Rolls, Kgomotso Sibeko-Matjila, Leonhard Schnittger and Mónica Florin-Christensen
Pathogens 2022, 11(3), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11030344 - 12 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2476
Abstract
Babesia bovis, a tick-transmitted apicomplexan protozoon, infects cattle in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. In the apicomplexans Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum, rhomboid serine protease 4 (ROM4) fulfills an essential role in host cell invasion. We thus investigated B. [...] Read more.
Babesia bovis, a tick-transmitted apicomplexan protozoon, infects cattle in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. In the apicomplexans Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum, rhomboid serine protease 4 (ROM4) fulfills an essential role in host cell invasion. We thus investigated B. bovis ROM4 coding genes; their genomic organization; their expression in in vitro cultured asexual (AS) and sexual stages (SS); and strain polymorphisms. B. bovis contains five rom4 paralogous genes in chromosome 2, which we have named rom4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5. There are moderate degrees of sequence identity between them, except for rom4.3 and 4.4, which are almost identical. RT-qPCR analysis showed that rom4.1 and rom4.3/4.4, respectively, display 18-fold and 218-fold significantly higher (p < 0.01) levels of transcription in SS than in AS, suggesting a role in gametogenesis-related processes. In contrast, transcription of rom4.4 and 4.5 differed non-significantly between the stages. ROM4 polymorphisms among geographic isolates were essentially restricted to the number of tandem repeats of a 29-amino acid sequence in ROM4.5. This sequence repeat is highly conserved and predicted as antigenic. B. bovis ROMs likely participate in relevant host–pathogen interactions and are possibly useful targets for the development of new control strategies against this pathogen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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13 pages, 1148 KiB  
Article
Clinical Progression of Theileria haneyi in Splenectomized Horses Reveals Decreased Virulence Compared to Theileria equi
by Kelly P. Sears, Donald P. Knowles and Lindsay M. Fry
Pathogens 2022, 11(2), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11020254 - 16 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1701
Abstract
The global importance of the hemoparasite Theileria haneyi to equine health was recently shown by its resistance to imidocarb dipropionate (ID) and its interference with T. equi clearance by ID in some co-infected horses. Genetic characterization of T. haneyi revealed marked genomic reduction [...] Read more.
The global importance of the hemoparasite Theileria haneyi to equine health was recently shown by its resistance to imidocarb dipropionate (ID) and its interference with T. equi clearance by ID in some co-infected horses. Genetic characterization of T. haneyi revealed marked genomic reduction compared to T. equi, and initial experiments demonstrated reduced clinical severity in spleen-intact horses. Furthermore, in early experiments, splenectomized horses survived T. haneyi infection and progressed to an asymptomatic carrier state, in stark contrast to the high fatality rate of T. equi in splenectomized horses. Thus, we hypothesized that T. haneyi is less virulent than T. equi. To objectively assess virulence, clinical data from nine splenectomized, T. haneyi-infected horses were evaluated and compared to published data on T. equi-infected, splenectomized horses. Seven of eight splenectomized, T. haneyi-infected horses survived. Further, in six horses co-infected with T. equi and T. haneyi, only horses cleared of T. equi by ID survived splenectomy and became asymptomatic carriers. The reduced virulence of T. haneyi in splenectomized horses instructs why T. haneyi was, until recently, undetected. This naturally occurring comparative reduction in virulence in a natural host provides a foundation for defining virulence mechanisms of theileriosis and Apicomplexa in general. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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14 pages, 2216 KiB  
Article
Rapid Detection of Equine Piroplasms Using Multiplex PCR and First Genetic Characterization of Theileria haneyi in Egypt
by Bassma S. M. Elsawy, Ahmed M. Nassar, Heba F. Alzan, Raksha V. Bhoora, Sezayi Ozubek, Mona S. Mahmoud, Omnia M. Kandil and Olfat A. Mahdy
Pathogens 2021, 10(11), 1414; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10111414 - 31 Oct 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2395
Abstract
Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is an infectious disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and the recently identified species T. haneyi. Hereby, we used a multiplex PCR (mPCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene of T. equi and B. [...] Read more.
Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is an infectious disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and the recently identified species T. haneyi. Hereby, we used a multiplex PCR (mPCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene of T. equi and B. caballi for the simultaneous detection of EP in Egyptian equids and examined the presence of T. haneyi infections in Egypt. Blood samples from 155 equids (79 horses and 76 donkeys) collected from different governorates of Egypt were examined by mPCR and PCR targeting T. hayeni. The mPCR method revealed a prevalence of T. equi of 20.3% in horses and of 13.1% in donkeys and a prevalence of B. caballi of 1.2% in horses. B. caballi was not detected in donkeys in the current study. The mPCR method also detected coinfections with both species (2.5% and 1.3% in horses and donkeys, respectively). Additionally, we report the presence of T. haneyi in Egypt for the first time in 53.1% of the horse and 38.1% of the donkey tested samples. Coinfection with T. haneyi and T. equi was found in 13.5% of the samples, while infection with the three EP species was found in 1.9% of the samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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Review

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17 pages, 1145 KiB  
Review
Impact of Equine and Camel Piroplasmosis in Egypt: How Much Do We Know about the Current Situation?
by Bassma S. M. Elsawy, Mona S. Mahmoud, Carlos E. Suarez and Heba F. Alzan
Pathogens 2023, 12(11), 1318; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12111318 - 5 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1159
Abstract
Piroplasmosis is a global tick-borne disease caused by hemoprotozoan parasites, which causes high morbidity and substantial economic losses in farm animals. Equine and camel piroplasmosis causes significant losses worldwide and in Egypt. The multifactorial effects and overall impact of equine and camel piroplasmosis [...] Read more.
Piroplasmosis is a global tick-borne disease caused by hemoprotozoan parasites, which causes high morbidity and substantial economic losses in farm animals. Equine and camel piroplasmosis causes significant losses worldwide and in Egypt. The multifactorial effects and overall impact of equine and camel piroplasmosis in Egypt remain poorly characterized. However, several Babesia and Theileria spp. as well as potential tick vectors affecting these two species have been identified in the country. Equine and camel piroplasmosis has been reported by all governates in the country. Thus, in this work, we intend to provide a broad depiction of the current approaches used for diagnosis and control and the impact of piroplasmosis on the equine and camel industries in Egypt. We also identified current gaps in knowledge that might help develop future research efforts towards improved intervention and control of equine and camel piroplasmosis. It is important to develop specific diagnostic tools suitable for the early and chronic diagnosis of this disease. Altogether, the current situation warrants the development of large-scale epidemiological studies in order to obtain an accurate estimate for equine and camel piroplasmosis to secure the highly needed food resources in the country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis)
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