Analysis of Immunodominant Piroplasm Surface Protein Genes of Benign Theileria Parasites Distributed in China and Korea by Allele-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Benign Theileria species distributed in China and Korea were characterized by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), based on the sequences of major immunodominant piroplasm surface protein genes. In China, all the isolates contained Chitose (C) type parasites. One out of 5 isolates tested was a mixed population of Ikeda (I), C and B-2 types, whereas, all the isolates from Korea consisted of I type parasites. Except for 4 isolates, 29 isolates from Korea consisted of more than two types of parasites. The present data showed that benign Theileria species distributed in these countries were mixed parasite populations. -KEY WORDS: allele, PCR, Theileria sergenti/ buffeli/orientalis.

Survey of Theileria Parasite Infection in Cattle in Taiwan.

“…All of the isolates contained C type parasites and 4 samples showed mixed populations of C and B type parasites. In this study, I type parasite could not be identified from Taiwan, while in Japan and Korea, I type is the major parasite distributed in the field [2,5]. There is no report concerning the relation between the allelic form and virulence of T. sergenti/buffeli.…”

“…However, there are several suggestive evidences that I type is more pathogenic than C and B type parasites; and Ikeda (I type) stock is more pathogenic than Fukushima (C type) stock. In Korea, all Theileria isolates contained I type parasite and showed severe clinical symptoms [2], whereas in Taiwan, all isolates contained C type parasites but not I type parasite and showed no clinical symptoms. T. buffeli is known to be benign parasite.…”

“…As shown in Table 2, all of the 15 samples contained C type but not I type of T. sergenti, and only four samples contained mixed populations of T. sergenti C type and T. buffeli (B type). B type parasites are further subdivided into B-1 (T. buffeli type) and B-2 (found in Japanese isolates but not in Australian isolates) by restriction enzyme pattern of the amplified bands [2,6], and 4 Taiwan isolates with B type were all B-1 type.…”

Survey of Theileria Parasite Infection in Cattle in Cambodia and Vietnam Using Piroplasm Surface Protein Gene-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction.

“…For further analysis of parasite populations, field isolates were collected from Asian countries (Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand) and others (Australia and Italy). This analysis showed that the I type parasites were commonly found in Korean isolates [3,7,8,10] but not in Taiwan [18], Thailand [14,15], Australia [9] and Italy [16]. In the present study, we characterized field-collected isolates of Theileria in cattle from Cambodia and Vietnam using allele-specific PCR in order to obtain further epidemiological information of T. orientalis in Southeast Asia.…”

“…There is, however, some suggestive evidence that the I type is more pathogenic than C and B type parasites. In Korea, all Theileria isolates contained the I type pathogenic than the C and the B type parasites and infected cattle manifest severe clinical symptoms [3,8], whereas the non-pathogenic C type is documented in Taiwan [18] and Italy [16]. In Thailand, where the Thai and C types exist, theileriosis has never been reported [15].…”