Control
Carrier animals or infected ticks can introduce equine
piroplasmosis into new regions. Equids are usually tested
for this disease during importation. IFA and ELISA tests
are highly sensitive, but complement fixation may not
detect all carriers.
Disinfectants and sanitation are not generally effective
against the spread of tick-borne infections. However,
eliminating contact with ticks and preventing the transfer of
blood from one animal to another are vital. In endemic
areas, the use of acaricides, together with frequent
examination of the animal and immediate removal of any
ticks (parasite transmission does not occur immediately),
may help prevent infection.
If an infected animal is discovered in a piroplasmosisfree region, the animal must be quarantined and kept from
all contact with ticks. Strict precautions should be taken to
prevent contact between horses and ticks, whenever carriers
are admitted to a piroplasmosis-free country for an
international competition. These measures can include
spraying the premises repeatedly with acaricides,
eliminating vegetation from these areas, and maintaining
infected horses in a separate quarantine area except during
competition and other specified activities. Pets, wildlife and
rodents should be excluded from these areas. Horses should
be inspected daily for ticks and may be treated with
acaricidal sprays and shampoos. Ticks could hide in animal
wastes, which should be destroyed and not allowed to leave
the quarantine area. Sentinel horses may be used to monitor
the effectiveness of these controls.
Treatment can suppress clinical signs, but the currently
available treatments are ineffective in clearing T. equi from
carriers. Some studies have suggested that treatment could
eliminate B. caballi from infected horses; however, in a
recent study, this organism persisted in carriers after even
high dose treatment with imidocarb. Although this drug
could temporarily clear the parasites and resulted in
transiently negative PCR results, B. caballi DNA was found
in horses after the treatment ended. There is no vaccine for
either B. caballi or T. equi.