RT Journal Article
T1 Molecular Detection of Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Hippobosca equina from Horses in Spain
A1 Dorrego Rodríguez, Abel
A1 Olvera-Maneu, Sergi
A1 Jose-Cunilleras, Eduard
A1 Gago, Paloma
A1 Raez, Alejandra
A1 Rivera Arroyo, Belén
A1 Oporto, Ariana
A1 González Domínguez, Sergio
A1 Cruz López, Fátima
AB The forest fly (Hippobosca equina) is an obligate haematophagous dipteran insect (order Diptera) that primarily infests horses and may contribute to the circulation of vector-borne pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Babesia caballi, and Theileria equi, important vector-borne pathogens of equids, in forest flies collected from horses in endemic areas of Spain. A total of 170 forest flies were collected from 39 equids across four geographical regions in Spain (Segovia, Madrid, Toledo, and Menorca) and blood samples were collected from 27 of these horses. All flies were morphologically and molecularly identified as H. equina, and DNA extracted from flies and equine blood was screened using multiplex real-time and nested PCR, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Neither flies nor horses tested positive for A. phagocytophilum, whereas one fly was positive for B. burgdorferi s.l. (0.6%). In contrast, T. equi and B. caballi DNA were detected in 11.2% and 1.2% of flies, respectively, and all positive flies were collected from horses positive for equine piroplasmosis (T. equi/B. caballi infection), with identical 18S rRNA sequences between hosts and flies. Nested PCR showed a higher detection rate than real-time PCR for the detection of these piroplasms in flies and blood samples. These findings provide the first molecular evidence of EP pathogens in H. equina and support further investigation into the epidemiological importance of forest flies in equine pathogen surveillance.
PB MDPI
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131533
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131533
LA eng
NO Dorrego, A., Olvera-Maneu, S., Jose-Cunilleras, E., Gago, P., Raez, A., Rivera, B., Oporto, A., Gonzalez, S., & Cruz-Lopez, F. (2026). Molecular Detection of Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Hippobosca equina from Horses in Spain. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland), 15(1), 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens15010094
NO Author Contributions: Conceptualization, A.D. and F.C.-L.; methodology, A.D. and F.C.-L.; validation, A.D., F.C.-L., S.O.-M. and E.J.-C.; formal analysis, F.C.-L.; investigation, A.D., P.G., A.R., B.R. and A.O.; resources, S.O.-M. and F.C.-L.; data curation, A.D.; writing—original draft preparation, A.D. and F.C.-L.; writing—review and editing, A.D., F.C.-L., S.O.-M., E.J.-C. and S.G.; supervision, F.C.-L.; project administration, S.O.-M. and F.C.-L.; funding acquisition, S.O.-M. and F.C.-L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
NO Institut Menorquí d’Estudis
NO Banco Santander
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 mar 2026