Fig. 4

Trypanosoma spp. PCR status did not define a clear disease phenotype. a Boxplots illustrating significant differences in clinical and clinicopathological parameters between PCR Trypanosoma spp.-positive (n = 162) and PCR Trypanosoma spp. negative (n = 85) animals. Degree of pyrexia (P = 0.007), degree of anaemia (P < 0.001) and total plasma protein (P < 0.001) did differ significantly but these parameters were not discriminatory for infection status. Degree of pyrexia (°C) was calculated as the difference between the animalʼs rectal temperature and the upper reference value (horse 38.5 °C; donkey 37.8 °C). Degree of anaemia (%) was calculated as the difference between the animal’s HCT and the lower reference value (horse 31%; donkey 27%). b Boxplots illustrating the increases in HCT noted in both the Trypanosoma spp. PCR-negative population (n = 85) and Trypanosoma spp. PCR-positive population (n = 162) from the initial evaluation (week 1) and the two follow-up evaluations (week 2, week 3) after treatment with a trypanocidal drug. Piroplasmosis status did not significantly impact on this response to trypanocidal treatment. ***P < 0.001, **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05