Prevalence of <i>Theileria equi</i> in Horses from Taif and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Using Microscopic and ELISA Techniques
2025
Mona Ebraheem Albooq | Mohammed Othman Aljahdali | Noha Talal Zelai
Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a significant tick-borne disease affecting horses, and one of the causative protozoan parasites is <i>Theileria equi</i>, hence the need to understand the prevalence and associated factors influencing it. Considering the population of horses in the study areas, a sample size of 272 horses comprising 171 and 101 horses from Taif and Jeddah was estimated. Thin and thick blood smears were made from the animals’ whole blood for microscopic examination. At the same time, serum samples were prepared and examined for antibodies to antigens using commercial <i>Theileria equi</i> antibody test kit ELISA. The relationships of gender and age with the presence or absence of <i>T. equi</i> parasite infection were determined using the chi-square test. The results revealed no significant association between gender and <i>T. equi</i> prevalence using both microscopic (χ<sup>2</sup> = 2.748, <i>p</i> = 0.07) and ELISA (χ<sup>2</sup> = 2.412, <i>p</i> = 0.096) diagnostic methods. In Taif, the microscopic results revealed that 86% of female horses tested negative, while 14% tested positive. In contrast, 75% of male horses tested negative, with 25% testing positive for <i>T. equi</i>. In terms of age groups of horses, a significant association (χ<sup>2</sup> = 31.966, <i>p</i> = 0.032) between age groups and the prevalence of <i>T. equi</i> in samples from Jeddah using the ELISA method was recorded. Understanding the relationship between the prevalence of <i>T. equi</i> and factors such as gender and age is crucial for developing effective control measures and improving equine health management, especially in Saudi Arabia.
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