Serological and Molecular Detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Babesia microti in the Blood of Rescued Wild Animals in Gangwon-do (Province), Korea

Abstract

Infections of Toxoplasma gondii and Babesia microti are reported in many wild animals worldwide, but information on their incidence and molecular detection in Korean wild fields is limited. In this study, the prevalence of T. gondii and B. microti infection in blood samples of 5 animal species (37 Chinese water deer, 23 raccoon dogs, 6 roe deer, 1 wild boar, and 3 Eurasian badgers) was examined during 2008–2009 in Gangwon-do (Province), the Republic of Korea (=Korea) by using serological and molecular tests. The overall seropositivity of T. gondii was 8.6% (6/70); 10.8% in Chinese water deer, 4.3% in raccoon dogs, and 16.7% in roe deer. PCR revealed only 1 case of T. gondii infection in Chinese water deer, and phylogenic analysis showed that the positive isolate was practically identical to the highly pathogenetic strain type I. In B. microti PCR, the positive rate was 5.7% (4/70), including 2 Chinese water deer and 2 Eurasian badgers. Phylogenetic analysis results of 18S rRNA and the β-tubulin gene showed that all positive isolates were US-type B. microti. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. microti detected in Chinese water deer and Eurasian badger from Korea. These results indicate a potentially high prevalence of T. gondii and B. microti in wild animals of Gangwon-do, Korea. Furthermore, Chinese water deer might act as a reservoir for parasite infections of domestic animals.

Molecular Detection of Arthropod-Borne Pathogens in Eurasian Badgers (Meles meles) from the United Kingdom

“…Lately, Babesia sp. was identified in badgers in Hungary [9,44], Korea (although in this case without molecular investigation) [48] and very recently also in Italy [32,49]. In addition, a few Babesia sequences not referred to in any publication are also deposited in GenBank.…”

Detection and characterization of an emerging type of Babesia sp. similar to Babesia motasi for the first case of human babesiosis and ticks in Korea

“…Regarding the molecular characteristics of the parasite obtained from the patient’s blood, we performed nested PCR for 18S rDNA and the β -tubulin gene of B. microti , which has been regarded as the most probable cause of human babesiosis and has been detected in wild mice and other mammals in Korea [46,47]. When we sequenced full-length sequence of 18S rDNA of Babesia sp.…”

Molecular Detection of Toxoplasma Gondii in Haemaphysalis Ticks in Korea

“…A PCR assay indicated the presence of T. gondii in 47.2% (50 of 106) of feral cats and 46.3% (64 of 138) of dogs [14]. The incidence of T. gondii seropositivity was 10.8% in Chinese water deer, 4.3% in raccoon dogs, 16.7% in roe deer [10]. Furthermore, the T. gondii B1 gene was detected in the blood of 16.2% (23 of 142) of rabbits from breeding farms in Korea [11].…”

“…T. gondii has been detected in Korean wild animals such as feral cats, Chinese water deer, roe deer, and raccoon dogs [8][9][10], and in domesticated animals such as cattle, horses, rabbits, and dogs in Korea [11][12][13][14]. These animals include herbivores, which raises the possibility that bloodsucking arthropods such as ticks could transfer T. gondii [15].…”