Abstract
BackgroundPiroplasms are kinds of tick-borne parasitic apicomplexan protozoa, which are detrimental to humans and animals in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. Up until now, there has been a limited amount of reliable information available about the prevalence of piroplasms infections in wild animals in China. Therefore, we have investigated the infections of Babesia and Theileria species in both domestic and wild animals in Xinyang city, Henan province, where tick-borne diseases have recently been reported. This study aims to analyze the distribution patterns of piroplasms infections in animals, and assess their potential threat to humans in Central China.MethodsBlood samples were collected from sheep, dogs and hedgehogs in two regions, including Shihe District and Luoshan County, of Xinyang city, Henan province from August to December 2012. Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and identified by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Moreover, the characteristics of detected piroplasms in different animal hosts were compared between the two study regions.ResultsA total of 227 blood samples were collected from 73 sheep, two dogs and 152 hedgehogs. Babesia spp. was only detected in the two dogs. Theileria spp. was detected both in the sheep and the hedgehogs, and the total positive rate of Theileria spp. in the sheep and the hedgehogs was 57.53% and 13.82%, respectively. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Theileria spp. detected in the sheep and the hedgehogs were very close to T. lunwenshuni cloned from a small ruminant and Theileria spp. isolated from a febrile hospitalized patient in China.ConclusionBabesia and Theileria infections were detected in both domestic and wild animals in Xinyang city, Henan province in Central China, thus warranting further studies in these regions.
Highlights
Piroplasms are kinds of tick-borne parasitic apicomplexan protozoa, which are detrimental to humans and animals in tropical and subtropical areas around the world
Piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease which is caused by infection with apicomplexan protozoa, such as the Babesia or the Theileria species
T. ovis, T. uilenbergi, T. luwenshuni and B. motasi were detected in sheep and goats mainly in Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Henan, Inner Mongolia and Jilin provinces [10,11,12,13]
Summary
Piroplasms are kinds of tick-borne parasitic apicomplexan protozoa, which are detrimental to humans and animals in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. There has been a limited amount of reliable information available about the prevalence of piroplasms infections in wild animals in China. We have investigated the infections of Babesia and Theileria species in both domestic and wild animals in Xinyang city, Henan province, where tick-borne diseases have recently been reported. Piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease which is caused by infection with apicomplexan protozoa, such as the Babesia or the Theileria species. These protozoan parasites are transmitted by vector ticks and can infect many different. B. microti infections were reported in animals and humans in the northeastern and southern parts of China [16,17]. Some other species seemed to be benign to the host animals, and most of the infected animals did not show any clinical symptoms or signs of diseases [24]
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