Equine Piroplasmosis

[flouzet]

Hi, I have a query about Equine Piroplasmosis;
We have a paddock which we sometimes rent out to horse owners, although we mostly use it for a hay crop, now that we no longer have our own horses. A horse owner with 2 horses who have Equine Piroplasmosis wants to rent our paddock for 6 months to a year. The horses are being treated by a vet with..................I believe that a horse may be cured of EP, but continues to be a carrier for the disease, so are often quarantined. Could a horse with EP infect any ticks in my paddock thereby infecting other horses in the years to come and / or infecting ticks which are then in the hay?

 

[Circe]

I'd never heard of this before, so had a quick read. From what I can gather it can takes years to clear from the horses system. One paper I read said that horses in the USA are considered lifetime carriers, and therefore have to be quarantined for life. Ticks biting the horses will become infected, and can then pass on the disease. I cannot work out how long the ticks would be a problem. Do they live long ?
I think I would be cautious if I was in your position. Is there a government agency which can give advice ( department of agriculture ? )
Kx

 

[MDB]

My horse had piroplasmosis a few years ago. Was treated ( a course of four injections at one week intervals), but I confess I cannot remember the name. He did have a second blood test at the end which I believe showed he was clear.
https://thehorse.com/113957/taking-piroplasmosis-seriously/
This article is quite interesting and seems to indicate that once clear, they are not lifetime carriers, unless i am mistaken. By the sounds of it, I think this must be the same drug that mine was treated with as he was also given an antispasmodic drug for colic at the same time. It was quite scary, as he would be totally off colour for about four hours after treatment, and would go down for a long time.
Anyways, perhaps find out what the horses are being treated with, and ask to see clear blood results before they use your field?

 

[flouzet]

Thank you, that was a very interesting article and has put my mind somewhat at rest.

 

[j1ffy]

Which country are you in? The ticks that carry piro are generally in southern Europe, there are none here in the UK that can carry it.

 

[Laafet]

Which country are you in? The ticks that carry piro are generally in southern Europe, there are none here in the UK that can carry it.

I have dealt with horses with it from Ireland.... We only knew as we were testing prior to Export