In vitro Cultivation of a Babesia Isolated from a White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Abstract

Pyriforms and ring forms of Babesia odocoilei were detected in thin blood smears obtained from a white-tailed deer killed by a hunter in Anderson County, Texas. Erythrocytes from the deer were cultured and the parasites maintained through 8 serial subcultures during 1 mo. The parasite was successfully established in culture using Medium 199 supplemented with either 20% deer serum or 40% normal adult bovine serum. The highest parasitemia observed was 30% and more than 4 parasites per erythrocyte were often observed. Cultured B. odocoilei remained infective for a susceptible white-tailed deer.

Babesia microti-Group Parasites Compared Phylogenetically by Complete Sequencing of the CCT.ETA. Gene in 36 Isolates

“…Genomic DNA samples of B. odocoilei Engeling [13] and B. divergens Purnell [14] were donated by Patricia J. Holman (Texas A&M University, U.S.A.); and B. caballi, B. major and T. equi (B. equi) isolates were donated by Ikuo Igarashi (Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan), Masato Ohta (National Institute of Animal Health, Japan), and Hiromi Ikadai (Kitasato University, Japan), respectively. An unclassified isolate designated the YaHam strain, was obtained from an Apodemus speciosus we captured in Yamanaka, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and was propagated in hamsters.…”

Babesia odocoilei infection in a Saskatchewan elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) herd

“…6,11,19 Stressed animals, as well as animals in a naïve population, tend to have a more severe course of disease with a significantly increased risk for fatal babesiosis. 4 Some immunocompetent whitetailed deer have no clinical signs and experience only a mild transient decrease in hematocrit, while others have a chronic illness characterized by pyrexia, emaciation, anemia, and a low level of parasitemia (0.5-1.5% of erythrocytes).…”

“…Five months after the initial diagnosis of babesiosis, there have been no further deaths in the herd, and the remaining elk are in good condition. Babesia odocoilei (phylum Apicomplexa, order Piroplasmida, family Babesiidae) is a tick-borne intracellular protozoal parasite of white-tailed deer, 6 but also causes naturally acquired babesiosis in many other cervid species and occasional bovid species, including North American elk, 7 caribou, 11 reindeer, 9 desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), muskoxen, 20 markhor goats (Capra falconeri), yak (Bos grunniens), and muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi). 4 Naturally acquired infections of B. odocoilei was first reported in Texas 6 and have also been reported in numerous locations in the United States, primarily the north-central and the northeastern regions.…”

“…11 Raw sequence data were assembled and edited, 22 resulting in 1,607 bp of highquality sequence. The sequence was 100% identical to previously published sequences for B. odocoilei from elk in Wisconsin (GenBank accession no.…”

“…Polymerase chain reaction amplification using broad range primers targeting the eukaryotic 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene (primers Bab A and Bab B; Table 2) b was performed in a 50-µl PCR reaction. 11 The PCR assay was optimized using a final concentration of 3 mM MgCl 2 and 1.25 units of Taq polymerase at an annealing temperature of 60°C. A band of the expected size (1,723 bp) was produced in the patient samples (Fig.…”