PCR Based Diagnosis of Trypanosomiasis in Thoroughbred Horses in Chennai.

A study was conducted to evaluate the conventional PCR amplification technique using specific primers for trypanosomes to detect trypanosomiasis in equines. Blood samples were collected from 80 horses maintained in an organized stud farm in Chennai. Wet film examination did not reveal trypanosomes in any of the tested samples. When PCR was carried out in the 80 blood samples using TR3 and TR4 primers sequence of trypanosomes, 11 (13.75%) showed positive reaction. This showed that PCR assay may be used as an effective tool to detect trypanosomiasis. This could be a valuable diagnostic or screening test in stud farms especially in cases of subclinical infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]