CASE-REPORT - FIELD-ACQUIRED SUBCLINICAL BABESIA-EQUI INFECTION CONFIRMED BY IN-VITRO CULTURE

A horse,vith no prior clinical history of equine piroplasmosis tested negative for Babesia caballi and Babesia equi in the complement fixati on test before importation into the United States from France. After 5 years in residence in the United States, the animal tested serologica lly positive for B. equi by the complement fixation test, the immunofl uorescent antibody test, and Western blot analysis. The carrier status of the horse was confirmed by culture of B. equi parasites. In vitro culture offers an efficient and comparatively inexpensive method to de termine the carrier status of horses suspected of harboring B. equi.