Piroplasmosis in the Spanish Horse

Piroplasmosis - generally referred to as piro, and officially named Equine Piroplasmosis.

A tick-borne infectious disease of horses, donkeys and zebras, caused by either or both of the protozoal parasites Babesia Caballi and Theileria Equi.

Piroplasmosis - Positive, Negative or Clear

The general terminology is that a horse is piro-positive or piro-negative.

Many, if not most, equines in all the countries where piroplasmosis is endemic, carry some level of piro in the blood.

Importation of horses from Spain into the piro-restricted countries above, requires a blood test. If piro parasite presence is below a determined level, the horse is cleared to enter.

NB. A horse is not clear of piro. It is clear to enter the country in question when the level is ’negative’ compared to the limits set.

A horse can travel anywhere in Europe without having to have piroplasmosis testing.

Piroplasmosis testing before Purchasing a horse in Spain

Importing a Spanish horse to the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand includes piroplasmosis testing.

There is a very large demand and ongoing market for spanish horses in Europe, and a lot of PREs are sold within the continent, especially in the dressage field.

Piroplasmosis tests re Spanish horses on this site

Details for each individual horse are given via the THIS HORSE flyout menu at the top left of the page. Included in this menu is the horse’s piroplasmosis status.

The Status shown for a horse can be Not Tested, Pending, Clear, or Piro+. The test results reflect the most recent testing.

Piroplasmosis laboratory checks

Piro checks in Spain, done with due diligence are as follows

• Buyer from piro restricted country expresses serious interest in a horse
• If the horse has not been tested, the owner commissions a piro check from a private vet.
• If the horse has been tested and shows piro-clear, the potential buyer may choose to go with this result, or to commission a new test.
• The blood test goes to the laboratory in Cordoba, very reliable and highly regarded, or to the International Laboratory Bose in Germany.
• This is all done before a contract of purchase is signed

Piroplasmosis Export Checks for a PRE

Before the horse can leave Spain, or anywhere in Europe, for a piroplasmosis restricted country (USA, Canada, Australia, NZ etc.)

• The horse goes into quarantine - 30 days for a stallion or mare, 10 days for a gelding
• During this time there is another piro test, regardless of how recent the private check was
• Other required Health tests are performed

Piroplasmosis Import Checks for a spanish horse

On arrival in the new country, another piroplasmosis test is performed by the State Health Authorities of that particular country.

Piroplasmosis in the Spanish Horse - Observations

Just when you think you've got a hold on the occurrence of positive and negative, and the factors that apply, something comes along that blows your theories out of the water.

The following is what we’ve found

• If the horses are in close vicinity with cattle, the possibilities of positive levels are high. This is related to the presence of ticks.
• This also presents a more realistic explanation of piroplasmosis being ’passed to the foals’, a proposition with which the vets we have spoken to are not generally in agreement. If the mother has piro, she is in close contact with the foal - and it only takes one migrating tick.
• Portugal has a high percentage of ’positive’.
• Our average is about a 65 neg to 35 pos, working almost exclusively with controlled studs
• Otherwise, it can almost be seen as the luck of the draw.
  More than once we have bought 2 fillies together, unrelated pairs that have grown up together. In at least two cases, one of the pair proved piroplasmosis positive, and the other one piro negative.

Piroplasmosis in the spanish horse
is one of our Articles about the Spanish Horse in Spain