Canine babesiosis in Romania due to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Babesia canis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Babesia vogeli</Emphasis>: a molecular approach |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Mariana?IonitaEmail author Ioan?Liviu?Mitrea Kurt?Pfister Dietmar?Hamel Catalin?Marius?Buzatu Cornelia?Silaghi |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease and Animal Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Spl. Independentei 105, sector 5, 050097 Bucharest, Romania;(2) Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany |
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Abstract: | Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the protozoa Babesia spp. that affects dogs worldwide. In Romania, canine babesiosis has become quite frequent in the last few years, with a wide
variety of clinical signs, ranging from mild, nonspecific illness to peracute collapse, and even death. Traditionally, a Babesia infection in dogs is diagnosed based on the morphologic appearance of the intraerythrocytic piroplasms observed in peripheral
blood smears. To date, no data on genetic characterization of Babesia species in dogs has been documented for Romania. Therefore, a molecular survey on natural Babesia infections of dogs in Romania using polymerase chain reaction and genetic sequence analysis of a fragment of the ssRNA gene
was performed. A total number of 16 blood samples were tested for the presence of Babesia DNA. Blood samples were collected from 11 dogs with symptoms of babesiosis and microscopically proven positive for Babesia and from a group of five asymptomatic dogs, not tested microscopically for Babesia, which were included in the study for comparative analysis. The piroplasm-specific PCR amplifying the partial 18S rRNA gene confirmed Babesia spp. infection in all 11 samples from dogs with clinical babesiosis, and in one of the clinically normal dogs. Sequence analysis
revealed the presence of Babesia canis in all clinically affected dogs and Babesia vogeli in one clinically normal dog. This is the first molecular evidence of B. canis and B. vogeli in dogs from Romania. The results of the study provide basic information toward a better understanding of the epidemiology
of canine babesiosis in Romania and will help to promote an effective control program. |
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