Diagnostic Assessment of Blood Parasites in Tick-Infested Horses (<i>Ixodidae</i> in Iraq: A Comparative Survey between Microscopic Inspection and ELISA Technique

Ticks (Ixodidae) are a major vector for many parasites that cause considerable diseases in horses; the most prominent are tick fever or bloody urine fever, which is caused by Babesia or Piroplasmosis, which is found inside red blood cells, leading to blood loss or hemolytic anemia, or Theileria parasite, affecting lymphocytes and erythrocytes, and other parasites, such microorganisms negatively impact in immunity of equines. This study involved the collection of blood samples (75) from horses; samples were divided into two groups: the first group (40) cases infested with a tick parasite and the second group (35) healthy horses. Specimens were obtained from the Equestrian Club's health center in Abu Ghraib. The results demonstrated that infected females (31), at 77.50%, were more than males (9), at 22.50%. As for the parasite species diagnosed in these samples, the highest infection rate was for Babesia sp. 32 (51.7%), followed by Theileria sp. 19 (30.6%), whereas the lowest infection rate was for Trypanosoma 11 (17.7%). Also, the findings showed that slides with a single parasite species had the highest infection rate at 33 (23.57%), next were mixed infection slides 21 (15.00%), and the lowest percentage was multiparasitism infection 8 (5.71%).Finally, the result for Babesia sp. parasite by ELISA technique was 27 positive cases (67.50%) and 13 negative cases (32.50%), with significant differences at a level of probability (P ≤ 0.05) compared to the control group 2 (5.71%) and 33 (94.29%), respectively. The result for Theileria equi was 22 (55.00%) positive cases and 28 (45.00%) negative cases, with no significant differences between them; the percentages for the control group, positive and negative, were 0 (0.00%) and 35 (100%), respectively. Therefore, highly significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were observed between the infested and control groups. The study aimed to identify parasite genera transmitted via ticks in Iraq by blood smears, determine which are most widespread and virulent to equine health, evaluate the effectiveness of the microscopic diagnostic method, and compare it with ELISA techniques.