Identification of a Novel Babesia sp. from a Sable Antelope ( Hippotragus niger Harris, 1838)

Abstract

Babesiosis in a sable antelope (Hippotragus niger Harris, 1838) was first reported in 1930; the parasite was named Babesia irvinesmithi. Recently, specimens from an adult sable that presented with a sudden onset of disease and that subsequently died during immobilization were submitted for molecular characterization. Microscopic examination of thin blood smears revealed the presence of small piroplasms. DNA was extracted from blood samples; the V4 variable region of the 18S rRNA gene was amplified and analyzed using the reverse line blot (RLB) assay. Amplicons did not hybridize with any of the Babesia or Theileria species-specific probes present on the blot and hybridized only with a Babesia or Theileria genus-specific probe, suggesting the presence of a novel species. The full-length 18S rRNA gene sequence was obtained and aligned with published sequences of related genera, and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Sequence similarity analyses indicated that a Babesia species, designated Babesia sp. (sable), was present. The sequence showed its highest similarity to B. orientalis and to an unnamed Babesia species previously detected in bovine samples. The latter was later established to be Babesia occultans. A Babesia sp. (sable)-specific RLB oligonucleotide probe was designed and used to screen 200 South African sable samples, but so far, no other sample has been found to be positive for the presence of Babesia sp. (sable) DNA. In summary, we identified a novel piroplasm parasite from a sable antelope that died from an unknown illness. While the parasite was observed in blood smears, there is no direct evidence that it was the cause of death.

Investigating the diversity of the 18S SSU rRNA hyper-variable region of Theileria in cattle and Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) from southern Africa using a next generation sequencing approach

“…The reverse line blot (RLB) method (Gubbels et al 1999), based on simultaneous detection of the 18S rRNA gene for various Babesia and Theileria species, has been extensively used for surveillance purposes (Georges et al 2001; Almerìa et al 2002;Oura et al 2004;Nijhof et al 2003Nijhof et al , 2005Altay et al 2007;M'ghirbi et al 2008;Altay et al 2008;Matjila et al 2008;Oosthuizen et al 2008; Almerìa et al 2009;Salih et al 2010;Yusufmia et al 2010; Tomassone et al 2012;Ceci et al 2014;Githaka et al 2014;Eygelaar et al 2015;Njiiri et al 2015). The method relies on the amplification of the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene, followed by hybridization to probes for various The current study aimed to assess whether other genotypes may be amplified by the primers used in these assays, since it was shown that multiple templates may affect sensitivity of the diagnostic assays (Pienaar et al 2011a).…”

Identification of novel Babesia and Theileria species in South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis, Linnaeus, 1758) and roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus, Desmarest 1804)

“…Recently, Babesia sp. (sable) was identified in a sable antelope that died from an unknown illness on a game ranch in the Limpopo province, South Africa (Oosthuizen et al, 2008). While the parasite was observed in blood smears, there was no direct evidence that it was the cause of death.…”

“…(sable) (Nijhof et al, 2005), Babesia sp. (sable) (Oosthuizen et al, 2008), and B. bicornis (Nijhof et al, 2003) were included on the membrane (Table 2). Table 2.…”

“…The primers used for sequencing were RLB F2, RLB R2, Nbab_1F, Nbab_1R BT18S_2F, BT18S_3F, BT18S_4F and BT18S_4R (Oosthuizen et al, 2008). Purified products were analyzed on an ABI3100 genetic analyzer at the Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (ARC-OVI, South Africa) sequencing facility.…”

Tick-borne blood parasites in nyala (Tragelaphus angasii, Gray 1849) from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…High seroprevalence of Anaplasma species, ranging from 75 to 100%, was found in wildlife at the livestock-wildlife interface in Kenya (Ngeranwa et al 2008). Species examined were eland, blue wildebeest, kongoni (Damaliscus (Nijhof et al 2003;Nijhof et al 2005;Oosthuizen et al 2008;Oosthuizen et al 2009). …”