Abstract
IntroductionPythium insidiosum causes a life-threatening infection termed pythiosis in humans and other animals. The organism has been identified in tropical and subtropical environments worldwide. Since 1985, human pythiosis has been increasingly reported from Thailand. Seroprevalence studies estimated that 32,000 Thai people had been exposed to the pathogen. In 2018, the first animal pythiosis case in Thailand was diagnosed in a horse. Here, we investigated the seroprevalence of anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in the Thai equine population. Materials and methodsWe surveyed serum anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in 150 horses distributed across Thailand, using three established serological tests: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunochromatographic test (ICT), and Western blot analysis. ResultsELISA detected the anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in three horses. ICT and Western blot confirmed the presence of the antibodies in one of the ELISA-positive horses. Based on one positive out of 150 horses tested, the seroprevalence of anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in the Thai equine population was 0.7%, which is markedly higher than that in the Thai human population (0.07%), but much lower than that in the Brazilian equine population (11.1%). ConclusionThe seroprevalence of the anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in the equine population suggests a higher incidence of pythiosis in horses than in humans. The antibody surveillance reported by our group was undertaken to promote a better understanding of the epidemiology and host susceptibility of pythiosis in Thailand.
Highlights
Pythium insidiosum is capable of infecting humans, horses and dogs residing in tropical and subtropical areas across the globe [1, 2]
The seroprevalence of the anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in a small sample of horses suggests a higher incidence of pythiosis in horses than in humans
We report an initial survey of anti-P. insidiosum antibodies in 150 horses from Thailand, using 3 established serological methods (i.e., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunochromatographic test (ICT), and Western blot)
Summary
Pythium insidiosum is capable of infecting humans, horses and dogs residing in tropical and subtropical areas across the globe [1, 2]. In the other endemic countries (i.e., Brazil, Costa Rica, the United States, and Australia), human pythiosis is relatively rare, whereas the disease in animals (i.e., horses and dogs) is much more prevalent [1, 21]. It is unknown if it is host, pathogen, or environmental factors that contribute to the different prevalence of human and animal pythiosis
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