An Outbreak of Besnoitiosis in Miniature Donkeys

Elsheikha, Hany M.; Mackenzie, Charles D.; Rosenthal, Benjamin M.; Marteniuk, J. V.; Steficek, Barbara A.; Windsor, Sharon; Saeed, A. Mahdi; Mansfield, Linda S.

doi:10.1645/ge-3277.1

Cited by 29 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…As there is no known selective pressure on the sequence of the ITS1 and ITS2, they are highly variable and show differences even between different populations of one species and closely related species (Hwang and Kim 1999). The third sequence is a variable portion of the 18S rDNA, which was already useful in the differentiation of some Cryptosporidium species (Elsheikha et al 2005a, b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular biological comparison of different Besnoitia species and stages from different countries

et al. 2010

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Besnoitia besnoiti tissue cysts from a recent outbreak in cattle in Germany were characterized with respect to their internal transcribed spacer regions 1, 2, and 18S rDNA gene sequences. These results were compared with own sequences of an Israelian isolate of B. besnoiti and of Besnoitia jellisoni cystozoites stored for years in liquid nitrogen. Furthermore, material was studied that was obtained from white mice (Balb/C) that had been successfully infected by intraperitoneal infection of fresh cystozoites from the German outbreak. All results were then compared and discussed with respect to databank sequences of other Besnoitia species. Comprehensive phylogenetic studies of B. besnoiti isolates from Germany revealed almost identical sequence alignments when compared to previously sequenced B. besnoiti isolates from Israel and Spain. More importantly, phylogenetic analysis revealed two distant clusters of Besnoitia species: the first one includes Besnoitia akodoni, Besnoitia darlingi, and Besnoitia oryctofelisi, while the second cluster includes B. besnoiti, Besnoitia bennetti, Besnoitia tarandi, and the Besnoitia species of rodents (B. jellisoni). The also B. jellisoni named species of the GenBank (AF 076860) must be another one, since our strain derives directly from Frenkel. These findings give strong hints that B. besnoiti has a cycle between rodents and a predator and that cattle and other are only accidental hosts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular biological comparison of different Besnoitia species and stages from different countries

et al. 2010

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“…Representative taxa of other cyst-forming coccidia, such as Besnoitia darlingi (Brumpt, 1913), B. bennetti Babudieri, 1932, Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle & Manceaux, 1909 and Neospora caninum Dubey, Carpenter, Speer, Topper & Uggla, 1988, were also included and their sequences were compared to sequences of Sarcocystis isolates. B. bennetti bradyzoites were obtained from skin lesions containing cysts from a donkey (Elsheikha et al, 2005a). B. darlingi was originally obtained from cysts isolated from a naturally infected opossum D. virginiana found dead on the roadway in the mid-Michigan area (Elsheikha et al, 2005b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic congruence of Sarcocystis neurona Dubey et al., 1991 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) in the United States based on sequence analysis and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)

2005

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The objectives of the present study were to assess the genetic diversity, phylogeny and phylogeographical relationships of available Sarcocystis neurona isolates from different localities in the United States. All 13 Sarcocystis isolates from different hosts were subjected to polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analyses using two published DNA markers (25/396 and 33/54). The 334 bp sequence of the 25/396 marker of these isolates and Besnoitia darlingi, B. bennetti, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum were sequenced and compared. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using neighbour-joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP) and minimum evolution (ME) methods based on the sequences of the 25/396 marker of the 13 Sarcocystis isolates obtained in this study and sequences of 10 related isolates from GenBank. Phylogenetic trees revealed a close relatedness among S. neurona isolates in the US (nucleotide sequence diversity <5.0%). US isolates formed a monophyletic group and appeared more closely related to each other than to the South American isolates, which formed a separate lineage. NJ and ME trees with Kimura 2-parameter model separated S. neurona into two separate groups: a northern US group and a Southern US group. These findings suggest a correlation between grouping of the isolates and geographical segregation and were consistent with a genetic bottleneck hypothesis during opossum colonisation of North America. These data do not support either the view of S. neurona as a single super-species or its division into multiple subspecies.

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“…3). 1,4,9 Validation of efficient and minimally invasive methods for identifying infected donkeys may strengthen efforts to prevent the spread of besnoitiosis within donkey populations, as infected animals may serve as reservoirs for the parasite, and the introduction of infected animals into naive herds likely plays a role in transmission of infection within herds. 6,10 The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of physical examination and 3 serologic assays validated for use in cattle 12 for the detection of B. bennetti infection in donkeys.…”

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Serological diagnosis of Besnoitia bennetti infection in donkeys (Equus asinus)

et al. 2014

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Besnoitiosis is an emerging infectious disease of donkeys ( Equus asinus) in the United States for which there are currently no serologic methods of diagnosis. A study was performed to evaluate physical examination findings and 3 serologic assays for the detection of Besnoitia bennetti infection in donkeys. A prospective study of 416 donkeys from 6 privately owned herds across 5 U.S. states (New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington) was performed. Donkeys were examined for clinical lesions suggestive of besnoitiosis and evaluated for antibodies against B. bennetti using a fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and 2 immunoblot assays specific for bradyzoite and tachyzoite antigens, respectively. Donkeys were confirmed to be infected with B. bennetti by histology (cases; n = 32) and were compared to those with no clinical signs of besnoitiosis (controls; n = 384). Identifying clinical lesions in 2 or more locations correctly identified infected donkeys 83% of the time. Donkeys with besnoitiosis had significantly higher FAT titers ( P < 0.001) and numbers of bradyzoite ( P < 0.001) and tachyzoite ( P < 0.001) immunoblot bands than control donkeys. The sensitivity and specificity of the serologic assays for detecting besnoitiosis was 88% and 96% for FAT, 81% and 91% for bradyzoite immunoblot, and 91% and 92% for tachyzoite immunoblot, respectively. Fluorescent antibody and immunoblot assays are effective at identifying donkeys with besnoitiosis and provide a more efficient and less invasive diagnostic alternative to histology.

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An Outbreak of Besnoitiosis in Miniature Donkeys

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

Molecular biological comparison of different Besnoitia species and stages from different countries

Molecular biological comparison of different Besnoitia species and stages from different countries

Phylogenetic congruence of Sarcocystis neurona Dubey et al., 1991 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) in the United States based on sequence analysis and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)

Serological diagnosis of Besnoitia bennetti infection in donkeys (Equus asinus)

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