Prevalence and Risk Factors of Equine Piroplasmosis in Khartoum State, Sudan

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the period from October 2016 to July 2017 to determine the prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in horse population in Khartoum State, Sudan, using Giemsa stained thin smears. Moreover, epidemiological factors that associated with the occurrence of the disease including: location, sex, age, breed, body condition score, horse use, housing system, previous infection with piroplasmosis, previous treatment, tick infestation, use of acaricides, contact with other animal species, biological control of ticks and season of the year were also investigated. Giemsa staining method revealed that the overall prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in horses was 27.4% (75/274) with geographical variation: 35.5% in Khartoum, 9.5% in Um durman and 25% in Khartoum North. Univariate analysis using Chi-square test at P ≤ 0.05 significance showed positive association between prevalence of the disease and geographic location (x 2 = 15.345, P = 0.000), sex (x 2 = 9.428, P = 0.002), age (x 2 = 7.260, P = 0.027), horse use (x 2 = 16.949, P = 0.000), previous treatment (x 2 = 11.115, P = 0.001), tick infestation (x 2 = 4.363, P = 0.037), use of acaricides (x 2 = 5.144, P = 0.023), biological control of ticks (x 2 = 4.210, P = 0.040) and season of the year (x 2 = 8.268, P = 0.016). Breed (x 2 = 1.076, P = 0.300), body condition score (x 2 = 0.079, P = 0.778), housing system (x 2 = 1.049, P = 0.306) and contact with other animal species (x 2 0.069, P = 0.793) were found not associated with the prevalence of the disease. The present study confirmed that equine piroplasmosis was endemic in horses in Khartoum State, Sudan and the control of the disease should be focused on control of ticks and treatment of carrier animals.