Animal Diseases Research Site Logo
ARS Home About Us Helptop nav spacerContact Us En Espanoltop nav spacer
Printable VersionPrintable Version     E-mail this pageE-mail this page
Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
Search
  Advanced Search
 
Programs and Projects
Subjects of Investigation
 

Research Project: IMMUNOLOGIC AND PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS OF VECTOR-BORNE BABESIOSIS

Location: Animal Diseases Research

Title: Imidocarb dipropionate clears persistent Babesia caballi infection with elimination of transmission potential

Authors
item Schwint, O -
item Ueti, Massaro -
item Palmer, Guy -
item Kappmeyer, Lowell
item Hines, Melissa -
item Cordes, R -
item Knowles, Donald
item Scoles, Glen

Submitted to: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 14, 2009
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Repository URL: http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/dspace/bitstream/10113/36253/1/IND44288912.pdf
Citation: Schwint, O.N., Ueti, M.W., Palmer, G.H., Kappmeyer, L.S., Hines, M.T., Cordes, R.T., Knowles Jr, D.P., Scoles, G.A. 2009. Imidocarb dipropionate clears persistent Babesia caballi infection with elimination of transmission potential. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 53(10):4327-4332.

Interpretive Summary: Infection of horses with the parasites (Babesia caballi and/or Babesia equi) are significant impediments to horse health and international movement and commerce. These data show that treatment of horses infected with Babesia caballi with imidocarb dipropionate at a dose of 4mg/kg body weight removed the parasite and eliminated transmission potential from tick transmission and direct needle transfer of blood.

Technical Abstract: Antimicrobial treatment of persistent infection to eliminate transmission risk represents a specific challenge requiring compelling evidence of complete pathogen clearance. The limited repertoire of antimicrobial agents targeted at protozoal parasites magnifies this challenge. Using Babesia caballi as both a model and a specific apicomplexan pathogen for which evidence of the elimination of transmission risk is required for international animal movement, we tested whether a high dose regimen of imidocarb dipropionate cleared infection from persistently infected asymptomatic horses and/or eliminated transmission risk. Clearance with elimination of transmission risk was supported by four specific lines of evidence: i) inability to detect parasites by quantitative PCR and nested PCR amplification; ii) conversion from seropositive to seronegative status; iii) inability to transmit infection by direct inoculation of blood into susceptible recipient horses; and iv) inability to transmit infection by ticks acquisition fed on the treated horses and then subsequently transmission fed on susceptible horses. In contrast, untreated horses remained infected and capable of transmitting B. caballi using the same criteria. These findings establish that imidocarb dipropionate treatment clears B. caballi infection with confirmation of lack of transmission risk either by direct blood transfer or a high tick burden. Importantly, the treated horses revert to seronegative status using the international standard for serologic testing and would permit movement between endemic and pathogen-free countries.

   

 
Project Team
Knowles, Donald - Don
Kappmeyer, Lowell
Ueti, Massaro
Scoles, Glen
Suarez, Carlos
 
Publications
   Publications
 
Related National Programs
  Animal Health (103)
 
 
Last Modified: 05/21/2013
ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links 
FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Nondiscrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | White House