Babesia divergens-like organisms from free-ranging chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) and roe deer (Capreolus c. capreolus) are distinct from B. divergens of cattle origin – An epidemiological and molecular genetic investigation

Abstract

Babesia divergens-like organisms from free-ranging chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) and roe deer (Capreolus c. capreolus) are distinct from B. divergens of cattle origin -an epidemiological and molecular genetic investigation Schmid, N Schmid, N. Babesia divergens-like organisms from free-ranging chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) and roe deer (Capreolus c. capreolus) are distinct from B. divergens of cattle origin -an epidemiological and molecular genetic investigation. 2008 Babesia divergens-like organisms from free-ranging chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) and roe deer (Capreolus c. capreolus) are distinct from B. divergens of cattle origin -an epidemiological and molecular genetic investigation AbstractIn 2005 and 2006, three adult female chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) were found dead with signs of acute babesial infection in the eastern Swiss Alps. PCR on DNA extracted from blood or spleen of the carcasses revealed sequence identity of the amplified part of the 18S rRNA gene with GenBank entries attributed to Babesia divergens of cattle origin or B. capreoli of wild ruminant origin which have never been described before in this region. Examination of 424 blood samples from 314 head of cattle from this area by IFAT, microscopy and PCR provided no evidence for babesial infection. Six of 887 ticks collected from cattle were PCR-positive, and sequencing revealed Babesia sp. genotype EU1 in five and B. divergens/B. capreoli in one of them. A Babesia isolate of chamois, two isolates of roe deer from the same region and one isolate of a roe deer from the north-western Swiss Alps were genetically compared with two Swiss B. divergens isolates of cattle origin by analysing the genomic rDNA locus. Whereas the near full length sequences of the 18S rRNA gene were virtually identical among all six isolates (>99.4% identity), distinct differences between the two isolates from cattle on the one hand and the four isolates from free-ranging ruminants on the other hand were observed in the sequences of the internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1, ITS2) and part of the 28S rRNA gene. These results indicate that, albeit genetically very closely related, these babesial organisms from cattle and from free-ranging ruminants indeed are distinguishable organisms with different host specificities, and they support the use of the discrete species name B. capreoli for the B. divergens-like organisms from chamois and roe deer. were virtually identical among all six isolates (>99.4% identity), distinct differences between the two isolates from cattle on the one hand and the four isolates from freeranging ruminants on the other hand were observed in the sequences of the internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1, ITS2) and part of the 28S rRNA gene. These results indicate that, albeit genetically very closely related, these babesial organisms from cattle and from free-ranging ruminants indeed are distinguishable organisms with different host specificities, and they support the use of the discrete species name B. capreoli for the B. ...

Natural Transmission of ZoonoticBabesiaspp. byIxodes ricinusTicks

“…EU1-infective ticks found in our study (3/223 from cattle farm and 2/31 from wild fauna reserve, not statistically different) are comparable to published prevalence of infected ticks (1%-2%) collected either from animals or vegetation (6)(7)(8)14,15). Whatever the biotope, Babesia sp.…”

Antibody Prevalence and Molecular Identification of Babesia Spp. In Roe Deer in France

“…To distinguish between the closely related B. divergens and B. capreoli, it is necessary to at least sequence the 18S rRNA PCR fragment of the V4 region, with two characteristic nucleotides at positions 631 and 663 of the complete sequence. All currently published sequences of wildlife isolates initially thought to be B. divergens (and referenced as such in GenBank) show these differential nucleotides, in addition to another in position 1,637, when the complete sequence is available (Langton et al, 2003;Duh et al, 2005;García-Sanmartín et al, 2007;Hoby et al, 2007;Cancrini et al, 2008;Schmid et al, 2008). Only one recent paper reports true B. divergens sequences in healthy free-ranging cervids: six red deer in Ireland (Zintl et al, 2011).…”

“…Experimental cross-infections and biological and genetic analyses all delineate a host species barrier (Adam et al, 1976;Gray et al, 1990;Malandrin et al, 2010). To deal with the difficulty of species identification, investigators in Switzerland investigating fatal cases of babesiosis in chamois used a more discriminating tool: the sequencing of internal transcribed spacers that clearly showed differences between B. capreoli found in roe deer, red deer, and chamois, and B. divergens found in bovines from the same areas (Schmid et al, 2008). Subsequently, investigators studying the ecologic factors favoring fatal cases in chamois concluded that there was probably transfer of B. capreoli to chamois from healthy roe deer carriers because of increased habitat overlap (Hoby et al, 2009).…”

“…Other Babesiae (e.g., the Missouri-type, Babesia MO1, and the B. microti complex) are probably also present in Europe in roe deer since related sequences have been identified at least once in roe deer in Italy (Tampieri et al, 2008). Molecular studies on wild and domestic ruminants and ticks have been made on housekeeping genes (18S ribosomal subunit) or internal transcribed spacer sequences (Duh et al, 2001(Duh et al, , 2005Hilpertshauser et al, 2006;García-Sanmartín et al, 2007;Schmid et al, 2008;Blaschitz et al, 2008;Hoby et al, 2009;Zintl et al, 2011). To investigate the extent of Babesia infection in healthy roe deer in France, we present results from two studies.…”

Importance of Nonenteric Protozoan Infections in Immunocompromised People

“…While several species of Babesia can infect humans, Babesia microti and Babesia divergens are the species most often associated with human infection (187,229,281). Small mammals (235,307,492,539,574) and ruminants (275,354,501,542,574) serve as reservoirs for Babesia spp., and humans usually become infected after an infected Ixodes tick takes a blood meal. However, transmission via blood transfusion has also been widely reported (50,86,246,272,366,379).…”