Authors: Luciani Mirella, Di Febo Tiziana, Orsini Massimiliano, Krasteva Ivanka, Cattaneo Angela, Podaliri Vulpiani Michele, Di Pancrazio Chiara, Bachi Angela, Tittarelli Manuela
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
Dourine, caused by *Trypanosoma equiperdum*, presents a diagnostic challenge in equine practice because its clinical presentation closely mirrors surra (*Trypanosoma evansi*), and conventional serological tests cannot reliably differentiate between these two closely related parasites. Luciani and colleagues conducted an expanded immunoblotting study on 615 sera from naturally infected horses, experimentally infected animals, and healthy controls (including donkeys), building on preliminary work that identified low molecular weight proteins (16–35 kDa) as targets of the infected horse immune response. Mass spectrometry analysis of six immunogenic protein bands revealed 167 distinct proteins, of which 37 were unique to *T. equiperdum*; crucially, 24 of these unique proteins demonstrated potential as specific diagnostic antigens. These findings establish a molecular foundation for developing species-specific serological diagnostics that could eliminate the current diagnostic uncertainty, allowing practitioners to distinguish dourine from surra with confidence and implement appropriate biosecurity and treatment protocols without delay. For the equine profession, this work signals the imminent availability of more reliable diagnostic tools that could transform how we manage and control this notifiable disease, particularly in international trade and breeding programmes where misdiagnosis carries significant economic and epidemiological consequences.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Current serological tests cannot distinguish T. equiperdum from T. evansi; these candidate biomarkers could enable development of specific diagnostic tests to differentiate dourine from surra
- •Identification of unique T. equiperdum proteins provides molecular targets for improved diagnostic accuracy in cases presenting with clinical signs suggestive of trypanosomiasis
- •Further development of immunological assays based on these candidate antigens could improve early detection and confirmation of dourine in equine populations
Key Findings
- •Antibodies from dourine-infected horses specifically bind T. equiperdum low molecular weight proteins (16-35 kDa) not recognized in uninfected animals
- •Analysis of 615 additional sera (7 naturally infected, 608 healthy) confirmed previous findings of specific protein recognition patterns
- •Mass spectrometry identified 167 total proteins across six SDS-PAGE bands, with 37 proteins unique to T. equiperdum
- •Twenty-four T. equiperdum-unique proteins identified as candidate diagnostic antigens for development of species-specific serological tests