RESEARCH PAPER
Prevalence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in horses in the Israel.
			
	
 
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				1
				Department of Epizootology and Infections Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, Košice, Slovak Republic
				 
			 
						
				2
				Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Košice, Slovak Republic
				 
			 
						
				3
				Equine Department, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
				 
			 
										
				
				
		
		 
			
			
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
							
					    		
    			 
    			
    				    					Corresponding author
    					    				    				
    					Mária  Levkutová   
    					Department of Epizootology and Infection Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, Komenskeho 73, 041 81 Kosice, Slovak Republic
    				
 
    			
				 
    			 
    		 		
			
																																 
		
	 
		
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2004;11(2):265-267
 
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Infection with the intracellular microsporidium Encephalitozoon cuniculi can cause a serious disease-encephalitozoonosis in various animals and people. Several species of mammals, including the horse, were seem to be potential sources of encephalitozoonosis for animal as well as humanhosts. The disease diagnosis is based on clinical signs, pathological findings, and the detection of E. cuniculi or circulating antibodies directed against the parasite. This study investigates the seroconversionto E. cuniculi in horses admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and 3 different private horse-riding farms across Israel. Antibodies to E. cuniculi were determined usingthe IFA test in the sera from 102 horses. Of 72 asymptomatic horses, 60% were seropositive and 19% ofthe positive samples showed a titter of 1:512. Of 30 horses with various clinical signs, 80% were seropositive and 68% of the positive samples showed a titer of 1:512. High titers were associated with colic and neurologicalsigns. This could prove to be interesting if the high percentages of prevalence of antibodies level inhorses are an indication of health risk in humans.