This document discusses Babesia equi, the causative agent of equine piroplasmosis. It covers the general characteristics of B. equi including that it is an intra-erythrocytic protozoan that multiplies by binary fission. The life cycle involves a vertebrate host of horses or donkeys and an invertebrate tick vector. Clinical signs in infected horses include fever, anemia, jaundice, and enlarged spleen and liver. Diagnosis involves microscopic examination of blood smears or serological tests. Recommended treatments are imizol or berenil, with control efforts focusing on tick control.

2. Edited by
Vet-Abdulrhman Subhi
Veterinary medicine
Cairo University

3. -Babesia equi
+General characters
+Life cycle
-Babesiosis
+Diagnosis
+Treatment
+Control

4. FAMILY:Babesiidae
Genus
Babesia
-Babesia equi
-Babesia cabali

5. -Also called Theileria equi.
(Because it form schizonts in the lymphocytes)
-It is an intra-erythrocytic protozoa.
-It multiply by binary fission.
-They are small in size(2µm) with round, oval or double pear shaped.
-some parasites divide into 4 organisms to form maltese cross.
-It moves by gliding.
-It is a heteroxenous parasite
Vertebrate host
Horse-donkey
Invertebrate host (vector)
2 or 3 host hard tick

6. -It is transmitted trans-stadially by 2 or 3 host
ticks( in which the larva is infected and is
transmitted to the other stages – the parasite
invade the whole body of the tick except the
ovaries)
-So the infected become free
from the parasite after
transmitting it to
the vertebrate host
-The infective stage is
sporozoites
- The sporozoite form
schizont in the lymphocyte
before invading RBCs.

7. Form schizont
in lymphocyte

8. -It is also known as red water fever or piroplasmosis.
-It is a highly pathogenic and highly distributed
disease which can infect horses, donkeys, cattle,
buffaloes, sheeps, goats, dogs, cats and human
according to babesia spp .
Clinical
diagnosis
Laboratory
diagnosis

10. -1Fever
Normal
temoerature
(37.5-38)
Increase in body
temperature

11. -2Anemia
Due to hemolytic
action of parasite
Pale mucous
membrane

12. -3Icterus
Due to hemolytic jaundice

13. -4Hemoglobinurea
Hemoglobin in urine

14. -5Anorexia
(loss of appetite)
-The horse become weak,
listlessness and suffer from weight loss.

16. -1Enlargement of
Spleen
(splenomegaly)

17. -2Enlargement of
Liver
(hepatomegaly)

18. -3Edema in lung

20. 1-Microscopic examination of blood smears stained
with Giemsa
2-Serological tests:
Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT)
Complement Fixation Test (CFT)
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
3-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

22. Imizol
Imidocarb
dipropionate
salt
Berenil
Diminazene
aceturate
-Antipyretics
-Treatment of
anemia
-Saline purgative
in case of
constipation

24. -By the control of the ticks
-The newly imported horses must be checked
from ticks
-The infected horses must be treated from
ticks to prevent babesia transmission
-Horses may be sprayed by acaricides
periodically