背景:马螺旋体病是由两种蜱虫传播的原生动物寄生虫引起的,TheileriaEqui和BabesiaCaballi,,与易感马临床相关,驴,还有骡子.此外,马重质体病显著限制了国际贸易和马术事件。快速诊断载体动物中的两种寄生虫对于实施有效的控制措施至关重要。这里,使用在希腊收集的马和驴的样本评估了同时检测T.equi和B.caballi抗体的快速免疫色谱测试,以色列,和意大利。将结果与使用同一组样品检测两种寄生虫抗体的改进的竞争性酶联免疫吸附测定(cELISA)进行比较。
方法:从255匹马和驴中采集血样。该小组由在希腊北部四个地点采样的129匹马组成,在西西里岛的四个地点采样的105只驴,在以色列的两个地点采样了21匹马。根据制造商的说明进行快速测试和cELISA,并对结果进行统计分析,以确定两种检测的敏感性和特异性及其相关性.
结果:免疫层析测试在15分钟内提供了结果,可以在现场进行,同时检测两种病原体。快速检测与cELISA检测抗马氏T.equi抗体的总体符合率为93%,B.caballi为92.9%。快速测试的灵敏度,特异性,阳性预测值(PPV),叶枯病的阴性预测值(NPV)高于91.5%。在快速测试中,有16个样品对两种寄生虫均呈阳性,在cELISA中,有8个样品对两种寄生虫均呈阳性。任一测试在T.equi和B.caballi检测之间都没有显着关联。意大利的两种寄生虫的检出率均明显高于希腊或以色列,驴的检出率明显高于马。两种测试结果之间的T.equi协议在希腊(93.8%)和意大利(95.2%)很高,在以色列(76.2%)中等。对于B.Caballi,快速检测的特异性和NPV高(94.2%和98.3%,分别),尽管敏感性和PPV中等(69.2%和39.1%,分别)由于样本量小。然而,对于B.Caballi,快速检测的灵敏度更高。
结论:快速测试在现场同时检测到T.equi和B.caballi,可能取代费力的cELISA测试,建议用于进出口目的。该测试还可以有助于临床病例的鉴别诊断,因为血清阳性可能会排除马螺旋体病,因为它不表明当前或活动性感染。
BACKGROUND: Equine piroplasmosis is caused by two tick-borne protozoan parasites, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi,, which are clinically relevant in susceptible horses, donkeys, and mules. Moreover, equine piroplasmosis significantly constrains international trading and equestrian events. Rapidly diagnosing both parasites in carrier animals is essential for implementing effective control measures. Here, a rapid immunochromatographic test for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to T. equi and B. caballi was evaluated using samples from horses and donkeys collected in Greece, Israel, and Italy. The results were compared with an improved competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for detecting antibodies to both parasites using the same panel of samples.
METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 255 horses and donkeys. The panel consisted of 129 horses sampled at four locations in northern Greece, 105 donkeys sampled at four locations in Sicily, and 21 horses sampled at two locations in Israel. The rapid test and the cELISA were performed according to the manufacturer\'s instructions, and the results were subjected to a statistical analysis to determine the sensitivity and specificity of both tests and their association.
RESULTS: The immunochromatographic test provided a result within 15 min and can be performed in the field, detecting both pathogens simultaneously. The overall coincidence rate between the rapid test and the cELISA for detecting antibodies against T. equi was 93% and 92.9% for B. caballi. The rapid test\'s sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for T. equi were above 91.5%. Sixteen samples were positive for both parasites in the rapid test and eight in the cELISA. Either test had no significant association between T. equi and B. caballi detection. The detection rates of both parasites were significantly higher in Italy than in Greece or Israel and in donkeys than in horses. The agreement for T. equi between the results of both tests was high in Greece (93.8%) and Italy (95.2%) and moderate in Israel (76.2%). For B. caballi, the specificity and NPV of the rapid test were high (94.2% and 98.3%, respectively), although the sensitivity and PPV were moderate (69.2% and 39.1%, respectively) due to the small sample size. However, for B. caballi, the sensitivity was higher with the rapid test.
CONCLUSIONS: The rapid test detected T. equi and B. caballi simultaneously in the field, potentially replacing laborious cELISA testing and is recommended for import/export purposes. The test can also be helpful for the differential diagnosis of clinical cases, since seropositivity may rule out equine piroplasmosis since it does not indicate current or active infection.