application/pdf Text Dissertation Dissertation - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna - 2023 The full text is only available to university members. Please log in! Equine piroplasmosis is a disease caused by haemoprotozoa (Apicomplexa) of the family Piroplasmidae, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi and, according to recent findings from America, also Theileria haneyi. The protozoa are transmitted in Europe by ticks of the genera Dermacentor, Rhipicephalus and Hyalomma. The life cycle of B. caballi includes threes tages: gametogony, merogony and sporogony, and in the case of T. equi, also schizogony. Piroplasms reproduce in the erythrocytes and are subsequently mechanically destroyed. This is the main reason for the development of clinical symptoms. They are variable and include recurrent fever, pale mucous membranes and general fatigue. Diagnosis can be made by microscopy, serological methods in combination with molecular diagnostic methods, with acombination of serological and molecular diagnostic methods showing the greatest sensitivity. Treatment is recommended with imidocarb dipropionate, administered several times intramuscularly. Successful treatment should always be confirmed diagnostically. Untreated animals can remain carriers of T. equi for the rest of their lives; in the case of B.caballi, an active infection usually lasts 12-24 months. The spread of piroplasms is closely linked to the spread of vectors. Vector-competent ticks such as Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus are native to Austria. The EP is considered endemic in neighboring countries such as Hungary and Slovenia. However, Austria is currently considered non endemic.In 2020, an autochthonous infection with T. equi was detected in a pregnant mare, showing typical clinical signs of piroplasmosis. T. equi was also detected by PCR in the fetus that was later aborted and in ticks collected from the mare's pasture. The pathogen originated from genotype E, the most widespread type in Austria's neighboring countries. A pilot study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of both EP pathogens. For this purpose, 173 serum samples collected in the Vienna area in 2017 were tested for T. equiand B. caballi antibodies using cELISA. The animals had stayed in Austria for at least the last 12 months. The result showed T. equi antibodies in 2.3% of the horses. In summary, although it cannot be directly proven that Austria belongs to the non-endemic areas withregard to EP, the non-endemic status can be questioned, and these results should be usedas a basis for further research. Esther Dirks acnumber:AC17533000 eng deu http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ 2023 Text Dissertation Jessika-Maximiliane Cavalleri Anja Joachim Michael Leschnik Testo Tesi di dottorato Equine piroplasmosis in Austria https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4193