Prevalence of theileriosis in donkeys (Equus asinus) Based on parasitological and molecular technique

Abstract

Equine theileriosis, being an OIE listed disease mainly requires frequent disease screening and monitoring. The aim of the present study was to monitor the prevalence of theileriosis in donkeys by using both parasitological method and molecular diagnostic technique based on Equine Merozoite Antigen-5 and 6. In the present study, samples from 216 donkeys were collected randomly. Positive samples detected by using Giemsa stained blood smear technique (GSBT) were used as the positive control samples for screening randomly collected blood samples by using Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (PCR) based on Equine Merozoite Antigen-5 and 6. Out of 216 donkeys samples screened for Theileria equi DNA, 67 were positive indicating an overall prevalence rate of 31.02% by universal PCR whereas GSBT revealed only 8.80% prevalence. This study emphasized the usefulness of universal PCR technique as an efficient diagnostic tool for determination of T. equi in field samples rather than Giemsa stained blood smear technique.