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Our previous studies report epidemics of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. However, the current status of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis endemicity remains to be clarified in some parts of Mongolia. We previously reported the potential application of rTeGM6-4r-based diagnostic tools, an rTeGM6-4r-based immunochromatographic test (ICT) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in the serological surveillance of equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. In the present study, the utility of the rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was validated. The rTeGM6-4r-based ICT accurately diagnosed positive reference sera that had been prepared from dourine horses in Mongolia, similarly to the rTeGM6-4r-based ELISA. The diagnostic performance of the rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was maintained when the strips were preserved for at least 2 months under dry conditions. The ICT detected 42 positive serum samples from a total of 1701 equine sera that had been collected from all 21 provinces of Mongolia. The κ-value, sensitivity and specificity of rTeGM6-4r-based ICT were 0.58, 50.0% (95% CI, 37.7-62.3%) and 99.3% (95% CI, 98.7-99.6%), respectively, in comparison to the rTeGM6-4r-based ELISA. Our field-friendly rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was found to be useful for the serological diagnosis of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis in rural areas of Mongolia.

Mongolia is an agriculturally rich country with large livestock populations that contribute significantly to its national economy. However, the export market for live animals and livestock products is often constrained for various reasons including infectious diseases. Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, which are bovine hemoprotozoan parasites, cause severe forms of clinical babesiosis, in cattle. However, a country-wide survey to determine the exposure rates in various provinces in Mongolia was not conducted to determine the risk for infections with these parasite species. Therefore, we investigated the frequency of antibodies to B. bovis and B. bigemina in cattle reared throughout Mongolia. B. bovis-and B. bigemina-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to screen the serum samples sourced from 1946 cattle in 19 of 21 provinces and a provincial municipality (Ulaanbaatar) in Mongolia. We found 351 (18.0%) samples positive for B. bovis and 435 (22.4%) samples positive for B. bigemina infections. The B. bovis- and B. bigemina-positive rates ranged from 0.8 to 61.5% and 4.0 to 50.6%, respectively, among the surveyed provinces. The positive rates of B. bovis and B. bigemina infections were relatively higher in the provinces located in northernmost, northern, eastern, southeastern, and southern Mongolia. Additionally, the B. bovis- and B. bigemina-positive rates were not significantly different between females (18.2 and 22.2%, respectively) and males (17.2 and 18.8%, respectively) or between the 1-3-year-old (16.2 and 19.4%, respectively) and >3-year-old (17.1 and 20.9%, respectively) age groups. The differential seropositivity for B. bovis and B. bigemina infections among the provinces may reflect the variations in the risk of cattle being infected with these parasite species. The findings of the present study highlight the need for country-wide control measures, including tick control programs, to minimize the rates of B. bovis and B. bigemina infections in Mongolian cattle., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)