Employment of the 18s rRNA screening PCR technique in the detection of Equine Piroplasmosis, in horses of sports and military operations, of the Brazilian Army

ABSTRACT The present work had the objective of detecting the occurrence of Equine Piroplasmosis in horses housed in the 3rd Guards Cavalry Regiment (GCR) - Brazilian Army (BA) ˗ Porto Alegre, RS-Brazil, as well as to demonstrate the proactivity of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique, aiming at the judicious use of the resources involved in the training and employment of Equines in the Brazilian Army. Fifty horses of the 3rd GCR - Porto Alegre ˗ RS, which are employed for Sport, Military Ceremonial, Law and Order Guarantee Operations (LOGO), were evaluated by means of the 18s r RNA screening with PCR technique, thirty eight horses with Babesia Caballi and Theileria Equi were detected, which corresponds to an incidence of 76% of the horses effective analyzed at the time. In this way, it can be verified that the Military activity have its "performance and effectiveness" factors threatened in case the health of the principal of his means employed, that is the horse, is compromised. The PCR technique then offers a reliable and feasible tool for the detection of Equine Piroplasmosis in BA horses.

摘要 本研究旨在检测巴西南里奥格兰德州阿雷格里港巴西陆军（Brazilian Army，BA）第3近卫骑兵团（3rd Guards Cavalry Regiment，GCR）饲养马匹的马梨形虫病（Equine Piroplasmosis）感染情况，同时验证聚合酶链反应（Polymerase Chain Reaction，PCR）技术的主动筛查优势，以期合理调配巴西陆军马匹训练与勤务保障相关的各项资源。本研究对该团阿雷格里港分部的50匹用于体育赛事、军事仪式及法律与秩序保障行动（LOGO）的马匹开展检测，采用18S rRNA PCR技术进行筛查。结果共检出38匹感染马巴贝虫（Babesia caballi）和马泰勒虫（Theileria equi）的马匹，占本次有效检测马匹总数的76%。由此可见，若作为军事活动核心作业载体的马匹健康受损，军事活动的作业性能与实战效能将受到严重威胁。综上，PCR技术可作为一种可靠且实用的检测工具，用于巴西陆军马匹的马梨形虫病检测。