Equine piroplasmosis: an insight into global exposure of equids from 1990 to 2019 by systematic review and meta-analysis.

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease of economic importance, relevant in the international movement of equids. The causative agents are at least two apicomplexan protozoan parasites Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. To date, there is no study that estimates global and regional exposure of equids to EP. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence and heterogeneity of EP using random-effects model. Six electronic databases were searched for publications on EP and assessed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 66 eligible studies published between 1990 and 2019 and representing 24 041 equids were included. The overall pooled prevalence estimates (PPEs) of B. caballi was 22.3% (95% CI 21.7-22.8), while the overall PPE for T. equi was 29.4% (95% CI 28.7-30.0). The overall pooled prevalence due to co-infection with both parasites was 11.8% (95% CI 11.32-12.32). Also, subgroup analysis according to sex, age, diagnostic technique, equid species, region and publication years showed a substantial degree of heterogeneity across studies computed for both B. caballi and T. equi infections in equids. Awareness of the current status of EP globally will alert the relevant authorities and stakeholders where necessary on the need for better preventive and control strategies against the disease.

Short- and long-term effects of orally administered azithromycin on Trypanosoma brucei brucei-infected mice.

Human African trypanosomosis (HAT) and animal African trypanosomosis (AAT) are diseases of economic importance in humans and animals that affect more than 36 African countries. The currently available trypanocidal drugs are associated with side effects, and the parasites are continually developing resistance. Thus, effective and safe drugs are needed for the treatment of HAT and AAT. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of azithromycin (AZM) on Trypanosoma brucei brucei-infected mice. Mice were randomly divided into 7 groups consisting of a vehicle control group, 5 test groups and a diminazene aceturate (DA)-treated group. Mice were treated orally for 7 and 28 days, as short-term and long-term treatments, respectively. Short-term AZM treatment cured 23% (16 of 70) of the overall treated mice whereas long-term treatment resulted in the survival of 70% of the mice in the groups that received AZM at doses of 300 and 400 mg/kg. Trypanosomes treated in vitro with 25 µg/mL of AZM were subjected to transmission electron microscopy, which revealed the presence of increased numbers of glycosomes and acidocalcisomes in comparison to the vehicle group. The current study showed the trypanocidal effect of AZM on T. b. brucei in vivo. The demonstrated efficacy increased with an increase in treatment period and an increased concentration of AZM.

Characterization of tabanid flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) in South Africa and Zambia and detection of protozoan parasites they are harbouring.

Tabanids are haematophagous flies feeding on livestock and wildlife. In the absence of information on the relationship of tabanid flies and protozoan parasites in South Africa and Zambia, the current study was aimed at characterizing tabanid flies collected in these two countries as well as detecting protozoan parasites they are harbouring. A total of 527 tabanid flies were collected whereby 70·2% were from South Africa and 29·8% were from Zambia. Morphological analysis revealed a total of five different genera collected from the sampled areas namely: Ancala, Atylotus, Haematopota, Philoliche and Tabanus. DNA extracted from South African Tabanus par and Tabanus taeniola tested positive for the presence of Trypanosoma congolense (Savannah) and Trypanosoma theileri whilst one member from T. par was positive for Trypanosoma brucei species. DNA extracted from Zambian tabanid flies tested positive for the presence of Besnoitia species at 1·27% (2/157), Babesia bigemina 5·73% (9/157), Theileria parva 30·11% (30/157) and 9·82% (14/157) for Trypanosoma evansi. This study is the first to report on relationship of Babesia and Theileria parasites with tabanid flies. Further investigations are required to determine the role of tabanids in transmission of the detected protozoan parasites in livestock and wildlife in South Africa and Zambia.