Publicación:

Revisión de literatura: Piroplasmosis equina y técnicas diagnósticas

Resumen

Piroplasmosis better known as Babesiosis is an infectious disease that affects all species of Equidae. There are two genera of Babesia that affect horses, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, both of which act as causative agents. It is mostly transmitted by vectors, such as ticks and, in some cases, by needles or surgical instruments contaminated with blood from positive animals. Its importance lies in the concurrency and magnitude, being increasingly observed in the equine clinic. It occurs mainly in tropical and subtropical areas that have a wide distribution of the vector. It causes a strong economic impact, due to the limitation in cross-border transport and the impossibility of participating in competitions. It is characterized by loss of appetite, anemia, fever, dyspnea, jaundice, edema, splenomegaly, hemoglobinuria, among others. Regarding the diagnosis, it is important to consider that the clinical findings are nonspecific and that the sensitivity of peripheral blood smears is low. Serological diagnosis depends on the production of antibodies during the acute phase of the disease and is cross-reactive with other closely related microorganisms. This article seeks to identify the diagnostic tests that are used to diagnose piroplasmosis, evaluating their effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages at the time of being performed.