Equine Piroplasmosis (Theileria equi & Babesia caballi) RT-PCR
This RT-PCR test looks for the genetic material of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, the tick-borne parasites that cause tick fever (equine piroplasmosis) in horses. It can find infections that a blood smear misses.
- Sample
- Whole blood (EDTA)
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Genetic material of Theileria equi in the horse's blood
- Genetic material of Babesia caballi in the horse's blood
- A way to find carriers that a smear can miss
Often discussed at these ages:Adult Horse
When your vet may advise it
- A horse with fever, weakness or pale or yellow gums, especially with ticks on the body
- A blood smear is negative but your vet still suspects tick fever
- Screening a horse before it is moved or bought, as your vet advises
About this test
Equine piroplasmosis is a blood disease of horses spread by ticks. The parasites live inside red blood cells and can cause fever, weakness, pale or yellow gums and a poor appetite. Some horses carry the parasites with few signs. RT-PCR (real-time PCR) looks for the parasite's genetic material in a blood sample, so it can find light infections and carriers that a blood smear can miss, and it can often tell which of the two parasites is present. A registered veterinarian reads the result together with the horse's signs, a CBC and a blood smear.
How to prepare
Blood is collected into an EDTA (purple-top) tube and kept cool until it reaches the lab. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Questions about Equine tick fever RT-PCR
What is the difference between a smear and RT-PCR for tick fever in horses?
Can a horse with tick fever look healthy?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
Related tests
Call to confirm
Strangles (Streptococcus equi) RT-PCR
Nasal swab, guttural pouch wash or abscess pus
Call to confirm
Call to confirm
Call to confirm
More RT-PCR tests
Equine tick fever RT-PCR: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
Read more
Tick Fever in Horses: Equine Piroplasmosis Testing
Tick fever in horses is equine piroplasmosis, an illness caused by two blood parasites that ticks pass on. A blood smear, an RT-PCR test and a CBC can help your vet find it, including in carrier horses.
18 Oct 2026