Abstract
Aim:Canine babesiosis is an important vector-borne hemoparasitic disease caused by Babesia canis vogeli and Babesia gibsoni, in India. The communication places on record the salient findings of the study directed to detect and characterize the pathogenic B. gibsoni isolates of Kerala state.Materials and Methods::A total of 150 dogs were examined for the presence of hemoparasites by light microscopy as well as by PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni. Hematological parameters were also analysed. Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Tamura kei model adopting ML method.Results::A sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction assay was developed with newly designed primer pair BAGI-F/BAGI-R for the amplification of 488 bp fragment of 18S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni. Out of the 150 dogs examined, molecular evidence of B. gibsoni was recorded in 47.3% animals, while light microscopy detected the infection in 26.67% cases. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that B. gibsoni, Kerala, isolate was closest and occurred together with Bareilly isolate. Anemia and thrombocytopenia were the significant hematological alterations in chronic B. gibsoni infection.Conclusion::A high prevalence of natural infection of B. gibsoni was detected among the study population. The affected animals showed anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Phylogenetic analysis of this pathogenic isolate from south India revealed the closest similarity with Bareilly isolates.
Highlights
Babesiosis is one among the most prevalent tick-borne parasitic diseases of dogs in south India, caused by either Babesia gibsoni, the small piroplasm or Babesia canis, the large piroplasm
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was standardized for amplifying partial region of 18S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni by gradient protocol using newly designed primers (BAGI-F and BAGI-R)
There was no significant similarity with any other species of Babesia, confirming the identity of the small intraerythrocytic piroplasms of this genus among dogs in Kerala as B. gibsoni
Summary
Babesiosis is one among the most prevalent tick-borne parasitic diseases of dogs in south India, caused by either Babesia gibsoni, the small piroplasm or Babesia canis, the large piroplasm. The large piroplasm is classified into three different phylogenetic groups referred to as subspecies Babesia canis, Babesia canis vogeli, and Babesia canis rossi, of which B. canis vogeli is reported from India. The small Babesia piroplasm in dogs was reported for the first time in India in 1910 [1]. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
