Current and prospective tools for the control of cattle-infecting Babesia parasites

RODRIGUEZ, A; SCHNITTGER, L.; TOMAZIC, M.; JACOBSEN FLORIN-CHRISTENSEN, M.

Protozoa: Biology, Classification and Role in Disease

Nova Science Publishers

Lugar: Hauppage; Año: 2013; p. 1 - 56

Bovine babesiosis, a protozoal infection of cattle transmitted by Ixodid ticks, causes high direct and indirect economic losses around the world. The most important species are Babesia bovis and B. bigemina that infect bovines of tropical and subtropical regions. B. divergens, on the other hand, infects European cattle and bears growing public concern due to its zoonotic capacity. Depending on the Babesia species, acute infections can be accompanied by fever, hemoglobinuria, hemolytic anemia, abortions, respiratory distress syndrome, neurological symptoms and death. In addition to tick control, chemotherapy with anti-babesial drugs and live vaccine-based immunoprophylaxis are the main available tools for the control of these parasites. In spite of the usefulness of these methodologies, a number of drawbacks call for better and safer therapeutic interventions. This chapter gives an account of the currently used control methods as well as new perspectives that have arisen from the identification of parasite molecules that play critical roles at the host-parasite interphase and constitute attractive therapeutic targets.