Diagnóstico molecular de Theileria equi em asininos na Bahia utilizando a técnica de QPCR

Abstract

The donkeys (Equus asinus) are animals historically involved with the development of society, being mainly used for transportation of people and loads. However, despite their strong presence, especially in the Northeast of Brazil, the health of these animals is neglected, leaving them susceptible to various diseases such as the Theileriosis. Theileriosis is a disease that can affect horses in general, including donkeys. It is an infectious parasitic disease caused by the hemoprotozoan Theileria equi, causing losses directly, related to treatment costs, cases of abortion, decreased performance of athletic animals, and indirectly, by preventing the commercialization, transit restriction and participation in events. Aiming the diagnosis of this disease, and from the development of more efficient molecular techniques, the use of realtime PCR (qPCR) in the identification of T. equi has become more and more frequent. Considering the carelessness with which donkeys have always been treated and due to the low sensitivity of the tests routinely used to identify the agents of pyroplasmosis, the present study aims to evaluate the presence of T. equi in donkeys in the state of Bahia, through the qPCR technique. Blood was collected from 200 donkeys, using EDTA vacuum tubes, through jugular vein venipuncture. The molecular detection of T. equi was done using the TaqMan® qPCR system. Positive results were obtained in 18% (36/200) of the samples. From the results found in this study, it is concluded that using the qPCR technique it was possible to detect genetic material of T. equi in naturally infected donkeys in the state of Bahia, demonstrating the circulation of these hemoparasites in donkeys in the region.