Babesia ovis as the main causative agent of sheep babesiosis in Iran

Abstract

Babesiosis is a haemoparasitic disease with high economical losses in livestock industry worldwide. The early diagnosis and successful therapy of babesiosis belong to the key steps of control and health management of livestock. Ethanol-fixed blood samples of 400 sheep were analyzed for Babesia infection. Reverse line blot (RLB) was established specifically for Theileria lestoquardi, Theileria (China 1), Theileria (China 2), Theileria ovis, Theileria separata, Babesia ovis, Babesia motasi, Babesia crassa, and Babesia (Lintan). The DNA was extracted from the ethanol-fixed blood samples and amplified with a common primer pair derived from 18S rRNA gene, amplifying both Theileria spp. as well as Babesia spp. Regarding the differences in the length of nucleotide sequences of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products obtained from Theileria spp. and Babesia spp., the PCR products derived from Babesia spp. were out screened and analyzed by RLB. The RLB analysis showed that 28 samples within the 400 blood samples were B. ovis positive. No B. motasi, B. crassa, or Babesia (Lintan) could be detected. The sequence analysis of one PCR product as a representative for other B. ovis-positive PCR products confirmed the results of RLB. Our results and the results of other investigators showed that B. ovis could be considered as a main causative agent of sheep babesiosis in Iran. Furthermore, our results also showed that RLB can be used as a reliable method for a simultaneous differentiation of Theileria and Babesia species from each other.

Prevalence of piroplasms in small ruminants in North-West Tunisia and the first genetic characterisation ofBabesia ovisin Africa

“…Several species of Babesia ( B. ovis, Babesia motasi, Babesia crassa and Babesia sp. Xinjiang) have been described in small ruminants; amongst them, B. ovis and B. motasi are believed to be causative agents of babesiosis [25, 30, 35, 41]. …”

Identification and Expression of Babesia ovis Secreted Antigen 1 and Evaluation of Its Diagnostic Potential in an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

“…The parasites were monitored by microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thin blood smears, and results were verified by PCR analysis, as described previously (22). The serum samples used for the ELISA were available in our laboratories from previous studies (8,14,23) and were as follows: 15 negative samples, confirmed by microscopy and the IFAT, from experimentally infected lambs prior to infection (negative-control samples); 120 serum samples from the same experimentally infected lambs, at 6,7,8,11,21,30,45, and 75 days postinfection; and 76 serum samples from 38 naturally infected sheep, at the time of clinical infection and 20 to 30 days after treatment, in which the presence of the parasite was confirmed by microscopy.…”

“…The disease is endemic in European, African, Asian, and Far Eastern countries (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Babesia ovis is highly pathogenic and, in serious infections, causes pancytopenia.…”

Transmission of Babesia ovis by different Rhipicephalus bursa developmental stages and infected blood injection

“…Several species were described in small ruminants: B. ovis, B. motasi, Babesia foliata, Babesia taylori and B. crassa, and the recently identified Babesia (Lintan) (Guan et al, 2008;Ranjbar-Bahadori et al, 2012). Ovine babesiosis is prevalent in Eastern Asia, Iran, the Mediterranean basin and North Africa (Guan et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2007;Ranjbar-Bahadori et al, 2012;Rjeibi et al, 2014;Sevinc et al, 2013;Uilenberg, 2006;Yeruham et al, 1985). Clinical symptoms of the disease include fever, anemia, loss of appetite, hemoglobinuria, icterus, and death (Yeruham et al, 1998b).…”

“…Clinical symptoms of the disease include fever, anemia, loss of appetite, hemoglobinuria, icterus, and death (Yeruham et al, 1998b). The principal vector of B. ovis is the tick species Rhipicephalus bursa, whose distribution spreads from Asia to Africa, across the Mediterranean region (Altay et al, 2008, Ranjbar-Bahadori et al, 2012Yeruham et al, 1985). R. bursa is a two-host tick, feeding on a wide range of hosts, including hares, dogs and humans, in addition to several species of ungulates (Yeruham et al, 1996).…”