Development of an Immunochromatographic Test with Recombinant EMA-2 for the Rapid Detection of Antibodies against <i>Babesia equi</i> in Horses

Abstract

An immunochromatographic test (BeICT) for the rapid detection of antibodies against Babesia equi was developed. It clearly differentiated B. equi-infected horses from B. caballi-infected and uninfected horses. The agreement with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results was 96.7% in the detection of field sera. The results suggest that BeICT is rapid, simple, reliable, and suitable for use to detect B. equi infection in the field.