Procedurally similar competitive immunoassay systems for the serodiagnosis of Babesia equi, Babesia caballi, Trypanosoma equiperdum, and Burkholderia mallei infection in horses

Procedurally similar competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (cELISA) methods were developed for the serodiagnosis of Babesia equi and Babesia caballi (piroplasmosis), Trypanosoma equiperdum (dourine), and Burkholderia mallei (glanders) infections in horses. Apparent test specificities for the B. equi, EE. caballi, T. equiperdum, and B. mallei cELISAs were 99.2%, 99.5%, 98.9%, and 98.9%, respectively. Concordances and kappa values between the complement fixation (CF) and the cELISA procedures for the serodiagnosis of B. equi, B. caballi, T. equiperdum, and B. mallei infections in experimentally exposed horses were 76% and 0.55, 89% and 0.78, 97% and 0.95, and 70% and 0.44, respectively. The cELISA method may be a technically more reproducible, objective, and convenient approach for piroplasmosis, dourine, and glanders serodiagnosis in qualifying animals for international movement and disease eradication programs than the CF systems currently in use. Use of the cELISA method also obviated the problems associated with testing hemolyzed or anticomplementary sera.