Diagnosis of subclinical equine theileriosis in center of Iran using parasitological and molecular methods

A total of 105 blood samples from healthy horses from different stables in Yazd province, center of Iran, were examined for the presence of Theileria equi infection using parasitological and molecular methods. Out of the 105 samples, the parasitological method detected T. equi infection in 5 (4.76%) cases while the PCR method gave 24 (22.86%) positive results. Age, gender and breed were not determined as risk factors for T. equi infection in this study. Since blood samples were taken from healthy animals, this implies that 22.86% of horses had subclinical theileriosis in the current study. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that T. equi is present in horses in the center of Iran. Despite the healthy appearance of horses, these carrier animals can transmit the parasites to ticks and are a potential continuous source for maintaining and disseminating the organisms to the horse population. We concluded that it is important to make further studies on definitive host and vectors in the respective areas.