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Observation of a novel Babesia spp. in Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in Australia.

ABSTRACT: The roles and epidemiological features of tick-borne protozoans are not well elicited in wildlife. Babesia spp. are documented in many domestic animals, including cattle, horses, pigs, dogs and cats. Three cases affecting eastern grey kangaroos are described. The kangaroos exhibited neurological signs, depression and marked anaemia, and microscopic examination of blood smears revealed intraerythrocytic piroplasms. One to seven intraerythrocytic spherical, oval, pyriform and irregularly-shaped parasites consistent with Babesia spp. were seen in the blood smears and the percentage of infected erythrocytes was estimated to be approximately 7% in each case. Data suggest that the tick vector for this kangaroo Babesia sp. is a Haemaphysalis species. For Case 2, ultrastructural examination of the erythrocytes of the renal capillaries showed parasites resembling Babesia spp. and 18 of 33 erythrocytes were infected. DNA sequencing of the amplified 18S rDNA confirmed that the observed intraerythrocytic piroplasms belong to the genus Babesia. The phylogenetic position of this new kangaroo Babesia sp. (de novo Babesia macropus), as a sister species to the new Australian woylie Babesia sp., suggests a close affinity to the described Afro-Eurasian species Babesia orientalis and Babesia occultans suggesting perhaps a common ancestor for the Babesia in kangaroos.

SUBMITTER: Dawood KE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3862514 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:A total of 853 questing Ixodes ricinus males, females, and nymphs and of 582 questing Dermacentor reticulatus males and females were collected from vegetation on the territory of the Lublin province (eastern Poland). The ticks were examined for the presence of Babesia by PCR detecting part of 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and nuclear small subunit rRNA (SS-rDNA) for determining of Babesia spp. and Babesia microti, respectively. The overall incidence of Babesia strains in I. ricinus ticks was 4.6%. Three species of Babesia were identified. The prevalent species was B. microti which occurred in 2.8% of ticks, while Babesia venatorum, Babesia divergens, and unidentified Babesia species were found at the frequency of 1.2, 0.2, and 0.3%, respectively. Altogether, B. microti constituted 61.5% of the total strains detected in I. ricinus, B. venatorum-25.7%, B. divergens-5.1%, and unidentified Babesia species-7.7%. The prevalence of Babesia species in I. ricinus did not depend significantly on locality (χ(2) = 1.885, P = 0.390) nor on the tick stage (χ(2) = 4.874, P = 0.087). The incidence of Babesia strains in D. reticulatus ticks was 2.7%. Two species of Babesia were identified. Again, the prevalent species was B. microti which occurred in 2.1% of ticks, while B. canis was found in 0.7% of ticks. In one D. reticulatus female, B. canis and B. microti co-infection was found. Altogether, B. microti constituted 75% of the total strains detected in D. reticulatus while B. canis formed 25% of the total strains. The frequency of the occurrence of Babesia species in D. reticulatus did not depend significantly on locality (χ(2) = 0.463, P = 0.793). The difference between the prevalence of Babesia in males and females of D. reticulatus was insignificant (P = 0.0954); nymphs were not found. The dominance of B. microti in the species composition of tick-borne Babesia found in this study was typical for eastern Europe. In conclusion, the results revealed that the population inhabiting the forested area of eastern Poland could be exposed to Babesia parasites, especially to those from the species B. microti, by a bite of I. ricinus, a competent vector of human babesiosis, and probably also by a bite of D. reticulatus whose role in the transmission of human babesiosis needs to be clarified.

Dataset Information

Observation of a novel Babesia spp. in Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in Australia.

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