Italian researchers have documented a rare case of cardiac arrhythmia in a horse with piroplasmosis. While it had been noted in other domestic animal species, equine cardiac dysfunction associated with piroplasmosis had not appeared in the veterinary literature. The case study appeared in the June 8 issue of the Veterinary Journal.

Equine piroplasmosis (otherwise known as equine babesiosis) is a tick-borne protozoal disease of equids. Clinical signs include fever, anemia (too few red blood cells in the bloodstream, resulting in insufficient oxygenation of the tissues), and jaundice. The disease can also be spread by contaminated needles and other equipment. Recovered horses become chronic carriers without clinical signs.

“Cardiac dysfunction is a rare complication of babesiosis in domestic animals,” reported the researchers, who work in the veterinary clinical department at the University of Bologna. “The horse in this report showed clinical signs of anorexia, depression, fever, icterus (jaundice of the white part of the eye), and brown urine, and laboratory results indicated sub-acute piroplasmosis.”

The piroplasmosis diagnosis was based on serology tests