J Parasit Dis DOI 10.1007/s12639-012-0156-6

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Successful therapeutic management of concurrent subclinical Eimeria leukarti and Babesia (Theileria) equi infection in a mare Vikrant Sudan • R. L. Sharma • S. R. Gupta M. K. Borah



Received: 21 May 2012 / Accepted: 26 July 2012 Ó Indian Society for Parasitology 2012

Abstract The occurrence of Eimeria leukarti infection in equine is being sporadically documented despite its cosmopolitan prevalence. A Marwari mare, aged 3 years and 6 months and owned by a socio-economically weaker class of labourer of royal families, was suffering from non specific enteric disorders. Detailed systemic clinical examination of mare confirmed subclinical enteric infection with E. leukarti and piroplasms of Babesia (Theileria) equi in the circulating erythrocytes. She was therapeutically managed with synchronous administration of specific and supportive therapy with success. Non specific clinical manifestations of the disease in equines, its debatable pathogenic significance, predisposing immunosuppressive impact of concurrent B. (T.) equi in circulating erythrocytes and probable reasons for under reporting of the disease in equines, etc. have been discussed.

Introduction

Keywords Eimeria leukarti  Babesia (Theileria) equi  Mare  Concurrent infection  Therapeutic management

Material and method

V. Sudan (&) Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura 281001, India e-mail: [email protected] R. L. Sharma Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Agra Road, Jaipur 302031, India M. K. Borah Department of Veterinary Pathology, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Agra Road, Jaipur 302031, India S. R. Gupta Department of Veterinary Medicine, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Agra Road, Jaipur 302031, India

Of the three enteric sporozoans infecting equines [Eimeria leukarti, E. solipedium and E. uniungulatis], infection with E. leukarti outshines on account of its worldwide distribution (Bhatia and Shah 2001; Soulsby 1982; Taylor et al. 2007; Lefevre et al. 2010). Ever since 1956, the occurrence of E. leukarti in equines, in India, is being sporadically documented. Since being reported for the first time in India in 1956 (Hiregaudar 1956), the occurrence of E. leukarti infection in equines is sporadically documented (Sharma et al. 1998). This communication reports subclinical Eimeria leukarti and Bebesia (Theileria) equi concurrent infections in a mare and its successful therapeutic management.

A Marwari mare, aged 3 years and 6 months, weighing approximately 300 kg was presented before the clinicians of Teaching Veterinary Clinical Service Complex, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Jaipur (Rajasthan) with a history of nonspecific foul smelling milder form of diarrhoea for the past 8 weeks. The mare belonged to socio economically weaker labourer of the royal families, maintaining horses for ceremonial commercial utility like marriages, film shootings, festival processions/cavalcades, etc. for earning livelihood. The stable management practices were not in absolute conformity with the scientific standards, being traditional type. The mare was reportedly exhibiting persistent signs of coughing and sneezing, subsequent to per os throwing out undigested and/or partly digested stomach contents besides, digestive disturbances and passing out irregularly

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Fig. 1 Eimeria leukari in copro samples a 109, b 409, c 1009 magnification

formed copro bowels with gas for more than 2 months back. A closer look at the animal revealed dull, dry and lusture less hair coat with tick infestation. Copro rectal samples in poly bags, peripheral blood in EDTA coated tubes and few ticks were detached from the infested spots and were brought to the laboratory, processed for identification of the pathogen(s), using standard procedures described elsewhere (Bowman et al. 2003; Hendrix and Robinson 2006; Taylor et al. 2007). Subsequently, the mare was therapeutically managed with synchronous administration of specific therapy comprising of sulphadimidine 5 g bolus per os and sulphamethoxazole in combination with trimethoprim 4 g bolus per os bid, followed by half the dose for 5 days besides, 20 ml of deep intra muscular injection of diminazine aceturate. Supportive therapy included intravenous injection of amoxycillin in combination with cloxacillin 4 g, 10 ml of intravenous injection of meloxicam, 10 ml of intravenous injection of vitamin B complex and 10 ml of intravenous injection of dexamethasone.

Result and discussion Detailed system wise clinical examination of the mare revealed dull, dry and lusture less hair coat at places infested with hard ticks, suggestive of prolonged sub clinical illness. The overall general condition of the mare was unsatisfactory incidental to subvert and/or reduced appetite adversely affecting feed intake, its digestion and assimilation of nutrients in food. She was reluctant to move. The rectal temperature was 100.2 °F, normal pulse (44/min) and respiration rate (16/min). However, bowel movements were irregular and putrefied intestinal contents as evidenced from frequent passing out of foul smell and irregularly formed slightly lose bowels per anus. The conjunctiva was not perfectly normal. It appeared dull and slightly pale suggestive of milder form of anaemia.

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Auscultation sound of lungs and heart were normal. Prescapular lymph nodes were slightly enlarged. Laboratory investigations confirmed that the mare was harbouring subclinical enteric infection with E. leukarti besides a few food borne pathogenic mycotic spores in the copro samples. The unsporulated E. leukarti oocysts were successfully recovered and microscopically demonstrated using standard copro sedimentation technique. The unsporulated oocysts presented unique characteristics. These were oval, dark brown, thick shelled, heavier and were quite larger in size in comparison with other unsporulated Eimeria spp. infecting the herbivores. The oocysts measured 70–84 lm in length and 47–57 lm in width. The double layered thick oocyst wall was 6–7 lm thick, with impregnated granular inner layer and a distinct micropyle devoid of polar cap, at the narrower end of the oocysts (Fig. 1). Microscopic investigation of the peripheral blood evidenced a few erythrocytes infected with piroplasms of Bebesia (Theileria) equi in Giemsa stained thin films and suppressed haematological indices [haemoglobin—11.2 g/dl; TEC—10.7 9 106/mm3; PCV—31 %, TLC—13.2 9 103/mm3] and differential count of the leucocytes [neutrophils—40 %; lymphocytes—55 % and eosinophils—5 %]. The post treatment response of the mare was encouraging. The bowels were free from E. leukarti oocysts and no piroplasms of Bebesia spp. could be demonstrated in the peripheral blood on day 21 post treatment. With an exception to Equidae, coccidiosis in domestic livestock, in general, is self limiting contagious enteritis mainly attributed to infection of mucosal enterocytes with developing host specific Eimeria spp. sporozoans undergoing schizogonic and gametogonic development. A majority of young herbivores, aged up to 8 weeks, suffer from acute to chronic course of the disease with high morbidity and mortality. The disease is predisposed by undernourishment, poor sanitation, over stocking, malmanagemental practices and stress (Mcqueary et al. 1977;

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Taylor et al. 2007; Radostits et al. 2010). Whereas, the E. leukarti infection in horses and donkey seems to be widely prevalent in different parts of the world. However, under reporting/documentation of the prevalence of E. leukarti in literature could be ascribed to failure of unique oocysts to concentrate to the surface in regularly used solution for floatation. The oocysts can easily be recovered and demonstrated in saturated sodium nitrate solution (1:360) or concentrated sugar solution (1:320) or by using routine sedimentation techniques (Lefevre et al. 2010; Radostits et al. 2010). In equines [asses, mules, horses], the E. leukarti infection is relatively harmless in comparison with other herbivore hosts. Foals, aged 15–123 days, continue shedding out oocysts sporadically. The disease often witness a milder, subclinical and asymptomatic course (Soulsby 1982; Taylor et al. 2007; Lefevre et al. 2010) and often detected and described at necropsy by way of demonstrating histotrophic stages of the sporozoan in the equine enterocytes (Hendrix and Robinson 2006; Lefevre et al. 2010; Radostits et al. 2010). This could be attributed to comparatively slower rate of in situ propagation, longer prepatency period and gametocytes developing in the lamina propria of the intestine (Bowman et al. 2003) besides, the rapid development of the acquired immunity against the subsequent E. leukarti reinfection. In India, E. leukarti infection appears to be prevalent in horses as well as donkeys (Hiregaudar 1956; Sharma et al. 1998). The disease is often associated with non specific digestive disorders viz poor assimilation of the nutrients and fermentation of the intestinal contents, loose irregularly formed bowels. The infected animal suffered for a prolonged period with scanty knowledge to her owner as reported here in. In equines, with rare exceptions, no clinical signs are associated with oocysts excretion in the faeces. The animals asymptomatically harbour the pathogen with non specific clinical manifestations of the disease (Bauer 1988; Beelitz et al. 1994). Besides, the mare under investigation seems to be an immune carrier for Bebesia (Theileria) equi as well. The fact was confirmed and substantiated from demonstration of the piroplasm in the circulating erythrocytes, milder parasitemia, suppressed haematological indices, etc. in the affected mare. Infection with the haemoprotozoans, their immunosuppressive impact on the host and heat stress during the summer months seems adversely affecting the general health of the mare resulting in the digestive disorders. The positive response to the therapeutic management confirms these findings. Pathogenic significance of E. leukarti has since long been uncertain and debatable (Aiello and Mays 1998; Bowman et al. 2003; Lefevre et al. 2010). A primary oral infection dose of 50 thousand to two million oocysts to

yearling ponies, failed to produce clinical disease despite, establishment of patent infection and shedding out unsporulated oocysts from day 31–33 post infection (Barker and Remmler 1972; Mcqueary et al. 1977; Bowman et al. 2003). Contrary to these experimental observations, the equines acquiring E. leukarti infections from the grazing lands, incriminated as a cause of non specific enteric disorders ranging from asymptomatic course of the disease to unthriftiness and mild intermittent diarrhoea of prolonged duration. Large meronts in the enterocytes damage the villous architecture and caused club like inflammatory swellings of the villi in the jejunum and ileum (Levine 1973; Roberts and Cotchin 1973; Wheldon 1977; Bemrick et al. 1979; Chineme et al. 1979; Engster and Jones 1985). In equines, well planned experimental studies are therefore warranted to elucidate the precise reasons for under reporting/documentation of prevalence of E. leukarti from different parts of the country, pathogenic significance of the sporozoan in animals acquiring a primary and/or trickle doses of infections from the grazing lands vis-a`-vis in vivo per os infections with sporulated oocysts, the impact of concurrent infectious diseases a host is likely to be exposed in the field and effect of various factors including stress, predisposing the animal to equine coccidiosis. Acknowledgments The authors express their deep sense of gratitude and sincere thanks to the Dean, ACVM, Jaipur, India for facilities provided.

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Successful therapeutic management of concurrent subclinical Eimeria leukarti and Babesia (Theileria) equi infection in a mare.

The occurrence of Eimeria leukarti infection in equine is being sporadically documented despite its cosmopolitan prevalence. A Marwari mare, aged 3 ye...
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