Serological prevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in camels and donkeys from Karamoja sub-region, North-eastern Uganda

Equine piroplasmosis is a severe disease of horses caused by the intra-erythrocyte protozoan, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. T. equi and B. caballi infections were assessed in serum from camels and donkeys using competitive- enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) assay. A total 110 animals were studied including 25 donkeys and 85 camels from two districts viz. Moroto and Amudat in Karamoja sub-region, North-eastern Uganda. All the (100%) donkeys tested were positive for Babesia/T. equi while none of the camels had been exposed to the infection. All animals were negative to B. caballi cELISA. Our findings indicated that all donkeys sampled in Karamoja sub-region have been exposed to T. equi and this could be prevalent in equine population in Uganda. No exposure status to B. caballi was reported. This study represents the first report on the status of T. equi and B. caballi infection in Uganda.