Estrategias genómicas y moleculares para el control de la babesiosis bovina

Abstract

The control of bovine babesiosis around the world is restricted to chemotherapeutic treatment and tick population reduction by acaricide agents. There are no control strategies based on herd immunity studies, programs on integral control of ticks and tick-transmitted diseases, neither are commercially available safe vaccines against babesiosis. In order to develop these tools it is necessary the use of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics together with research on genes with a potential use as diagnostics or vaccines. Studies on the function of those genes and, the degree of conservation of variation are mandatory to determine their usefulness. First, it is necessary to identify genes with a potential use in the development of these tools and then, evaluate their variation or conservation between different parasite populations. Second, specific domains of those genes must be selected in order for them to be used as desired, whether they are on conserved or variable regions of those genes in different strains. Finally, the best evaluation method for those genes must be employed to develop adequate control methods. Although there is some research in the study of Babesia bovis genes, there is practically no information about B. bigemina. Therefore it is necessary to take advantage of the genomics and bioinformatics strategies to identify new genes as diagnostics and vaccine potential. The development of the Mexican livestock depends upon the implementation of these tools. KEY WORDS: Bovine babesiosis, diagnostics, bioinformatics.