BabesiaDNA Detection in Canine Blood andDermacentor reticulatusTicks in Southwestern Siberia, Russia

Abstract

Babesia infection was studied in 21 blood samples of dogs with symptoms of babesiosis and among 72 Dermacentor reticulatus and 70 Ixodes persulcatus ticks from southwestern Siberia, Russia. Babesia DNA was detected by hemi-nested PCR based on the 18S rRNA gene with subsequent direct sequencing. All of the analyzed canine blood samples and three D. reticulatus, but none from I. persulcatus ticks studied were shown to contain Babesia DNA. Nucleotide sequences of the Babesia 18S rRNA gene fragment of 354 bp long for all 24 positive samples appeared to belong to the subspecies Babesia canis canis and differed only at three positions. The Babesia nucleotide sequences from 17 canine blood samples and from one D. reticulatus tick were identical to each other and to previously known B. canis canis from canine blood in Slovenia. Four canine blood samples and the second tick sample contained a mixture of two nucleotide sequences previously found in canine blood. B. canis canis nucleotide sequence from the third tick differed in the unique nucleotide transition and could correspond to a new genetic variant. Thus, the main etiological agent of canine babesiosis in Novosibirsk region is B. canis canis, and D. reticulatus, but not I. persulcatus, ticks could serve as a vector of this infectious agent. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the B. canis canis nucleotide sequences from ticks.

Molecular detection of Babesia canis in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected in Slovakia

“…Similar phenomenon has been observed with TBE virus which is detected in less than 1% of questing I. ricinus (Suss et al, 2004). In a study from Russia (Rar et al, 2005), 4% of D. reticulatus ticks were determined infected with B. canis canis indicating that the infection rate of B. canis in ticks is low but might differ geographically. However, to establish the true infection rate of babesiae, more D. reticulatus ticks from countries across Europe need to be tested.…”

“…The vector capacity of D. reticulatus for B. canis is well described and experimentally determined, yet only one study reported the molecular characteristics of B. canis from D. reticulatus ticks (Rar et al, 2005). The aim of our study was to describe B. canis in D. reticulatus collected in Slovakia by using molecular methods, PCR and subsequent sequence analysis.…”

Hard Ticks Infesting Dogs in Hungary and their Infection with Babesia and Borrelia Species

“…Although there is a lack of comparable data from similar studies, this is much higher then the prevalence rates (3.6 % and 4.2 %) published by Rar et al (2005a) and Rar et al (2005b) for unfed D. reticulatus. Our sampling method could also contribute to the high proportion of the Babesia-positive ticks, because more Babesia-infected animals (possibly carrying the infected tick) might occur amongst dogs taken to the veterinary clinics than in the average population.…”

The effect of changes in agricultural practices on the density of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks

“…in Central Europe (Rar et al, 2005;Dautel et al, 2006;Karbowiak, 2009;Mierzejewska et al, 2013;Bajer et al, 2014a,b). The geographical range of D. reticulatus and consequently, of canine babesiosis, has increased alarmingly in Central Europe over the last decade (Sréter et al, 2005;Dautel et al, 2006;Bajer et al, 2014b;Mierzejewska et al, 2014;Jongejan et al, 2015).…”