Abstract
In Europe, Babesia divergens is responsible for most of the severe cases of human babesiosis. In the present study, we describe a case of babesiosis in a splenectomized patient in France and report a detailed molecular characterization of the etiological agent, named Babesia sp. FR1, as well as of closely related Babesia divergens, Babesia capreoli and Babesia sp. MO1-like parasites. The analysis of the conserved 18S rRNA gene was supplemented with the analysis of more discriminant markers involved in the red blood cell invasion process: rap-1a (rhoptry-associated-protein 1) and ama-1 (apical-membrane-antigen 1). The rap-1a and ama-1 phylogenetic analyses were congruent, placing Babesia sp. FR1, the new European etiological agent, in the American cluster of Babesia sp. MO1-like parasites. Based on two additional markers, our analysis confirms the clear separation of B. divergens and B. capreoli. Babesia sp. MO1-like parasites should also be considered as a separate species, with the rabbit as its natural host, differing from those of B. divergens (cattle) and B. capreoli (roe deer). The natural host of Babesia sp. FR1 remains to be discovered.
Highlights
Luis Miguel GonzálezBabesiosis is a tick-borne disease affecting a wide range of vertebrates worldwide.Symptoms of this disease are caused by the intraerythrocytic development of Protozoa of the genus Babesia, causing fever, jaundice, hemoglobinuria and anemia, possibly leading to death, depending on the Babesia species and the host
We describe an unusually mild babesiosis in an asplenic patient in France, originally suspected to be caused by B. divergens
Most human babesiosis cases are recorded in North America and are mainly due to Babesia microti, sporadically to B. duncani
Summary
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease affecting a wide range of vertebrates worldwide. Symptoms of this disease are caused by the intraerythrocytic development of Protozoa of the genus Babesia, causing fever, jaundice, hemoglobinuria and anemia, possibly leading to death, depending on the Babesia species and the host. Even though humans are not natural hosts of Babesia, human infections caused by several different species of Babesia have been reported worldwide. B. duncani (WA1) [2] and to a lesser extent B. divergens-like MO1 clade) [3] have been reported to cause disease in humans in the USA. In Asia, a few cases have recently been reported, caused by B. divergens-, B. venatorum- or B. crassa-like strains [5,6,7]
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