Serosurvey for equine piroplasms in horses and donkeys from North-Western Nigeria using IFAT and ELISA.

Equine piroplasmosis is caused by apicomplexan parasites, namely, and , which are transmitted to equids principally through ticks. To ascertain the exposure of equines to agents of equine piroplasms, we tested serum samples collected from horses (n = 272) and donkeys (n = 170) in North-Western Nigeria for the presence of antibodies against and using IFAT and ELISA. The seroprevalence of in the horses determined using IFAT and ELISA was 48.89% and 45.96%, respectively, while for , it was 6.3% and 0.4%, respectively. For , the seroprevalence based on IFAT and ELISA results in donkeys was 14.1% and 2.9%, respectively, while for , the seroprevalence was 2.4% and 0.6%, respectively, for ELISA and IFAT. Mixed infection detected in the horses using IFAT and ELISA was 5.5% and 0.4%, respectively, while no mixed infection was observed in the donkeys. The seroprevalence of was significantly ( < .0001) higher than that of in both horses and donkeys. Comparatively, the IFAT detected a greater number of piroplasm seropositive animals than ELISA, indicating a difference in their diagnostic accuracy. Findings from this study confirm the existence of equine piroplasms in both horses and donkeys in North-Western Nigeria and highlights the need for robust and effective control measures against the disease.