Prevalence of antibodies toSarcocystis neuronaandNeospora hughesiin horses from Mexico

Michelle R Yeargan,Daniel K Howe,Jitender P Dubey,Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel

doi:10.1051/parasite/2013029

Abstract

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating disease of horses caused by Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi. Sera from 495 horses in Durango State, Mexico were tested for anti-protozoal antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on major surface antigens of these two parasites. Antibodies to S. neurona were detected in 240 (48.5%) of the 495 horse sera tested with the rSnSAG2/4/3 trivalent ELISA. Multivariate analysis showed that exposure to S. neurona was associated with age, feeding grains and crops, and small herd size. Antibodies to N. hughesi were found in 15 (3.0%) of the 495 horse sera tested with the rNhSAG1 ELISA and confirmed by Western blot of N. hughesi tachyzoite antigen. This is the first report of S. neurona and N. hughesi exposure in horses in Mexico, and it affirms that EPM should be in the differential diagnosis for horses exhibiting signs of neurologic disease in this country.

Highlights

Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi are apicomplexan protozoa that cause equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM)
Seroprevalence of S. neurona can vary widely, from 15% in wild horses in Wyoming [11] to 89% of horses in Oklahoma [3], antibodies to S. neurona are typically detected in 35% to 65% of horses in regions where this parasite is known to exist [4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 21,22,23,24]
The relatively high seroprevalence observed in these horses from

Summary

Introduction

Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi are apicomplexan protozoa that cause equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). This debilitating neurologic disease has been estimated to affect about 1 in 1000 horses annually [19] and is typically fatal if not treated. Consistent with the geographic range of opossums, infection with S. neurona is limited to North, Central, and South America, with seroprevalence studies showing that horses are commonly exposed to this parasite [3,4,5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 16, 21,22,23,24]

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