Serological prevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in horses of Lara State, Venezuela

The main objective of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis (EP) in horses of Lara State, Venezuela, and to correlate it with the factors host's sex and age in order to know the epidemiology of this disease at the Venezuelan Centroccidental Region. Antibody levels to Babesia caballi and Theileria equi were assessed in 360 equine serum samples, collected from 9 municipalities of Lara State, using an ELISA technique with recombinant antigens and monoclonal antibodies (Mabs). Antibodies to B. caballi were found in 254 horses (70.6%), whereas 181 animals (50.3%) were detected as seropositives to T. equi. In addition, 128 samples (35.56%) were seropositives to both hemoparasites. There were no significant differences between the seropositivity to B. caballi and T. equi with the factors sex and age of the horses. These results show that Lara State is an enzootic area for equine piroplasmosis, and are a contribution to a partial knowledge of the dynamic of this disease in Venezuela. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.