New Diagnostic Assay for EPM Developed

A new EPM test uses three antigens to measure the antibody response to parasite infection in serum or CSF.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Dan Howe, PhD, a molecular parasitologist at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, has developed a new assay to aid in diagnosing equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). This enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or ELISA, measures antibodies to the surface antigens (SAGs) SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG4 of Sarcocystis neurona, the parasite that most commonly causes EPM.

These specific SAGs are proteins on the outer surface of the parasite that trigger the horse’s immune system during an S. neurona infection. By measuring a colorimetric change relative to the amount of antibodies in a horse’s blood sample, the assay provides quantitative data expressed as a titer (a measurement of antibody levels in a blood sample). Most horses have varying levels of serum antibodies against S. neurona due to a high natural exposure rate (seroprevalence) to the parasite.

"Although many horses have been exposed to S. neurona and have antibodies against the parasite, this doesn’t necessarily correlate with an ongoing active infection, and relatively few horses ever develop EPM disease," Howe said.

Because of this high seroprevalence rate but low disease incidence, simply detecting antibodies in a horse’s serum provides modest diagnostic information, said Howe. Instead, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained via spinal tap is the best method for diagnosing EPM

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
329 votes · 329 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!