Babesia in domestic ruminants

GANZINELLI, S.; RODRIGUEZ, A.E.; SCHNITTGER, L. ; JACOBSEN DE FLORIN-CHRISTENSEN, M

Parasitic Protozoa of Farm Animals and Pets978

Springer International Publishing

Año: 2018; p. 215 - 239

Babesia spp. are intraerythrocytic tick-transmitted apicomplexan protozoans,considered to be the second most commonly found parasites in the blood ofmammals after trypanosomes. Ever since the discovery of parasitic inclusions inerythrocytes of cattle by Victor Babes, a great number of Babesia species havebeen described, and thanks to the advances in microscopy, cell biology, andmolecular biology techniques, our knowledge is continually expanding. MostBabesia species that affect domestic ruminants, including cattle, water buffalo,and small ruminants, are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of theworld. Acute Babesia infections of these animals are associated with fever, anemia, hemoglobinuria, and abortions and, in some cases, neurological symptoms,respiratory distress, and even death. Babesiosis outbreaks can be prevented by acombination of vaccination with living attenuated organisms and tick controlprograms. However, these control methods have numerous limitations, and,additionally, commercial live vaccines are only available for bovine babesiosiscaused by B. bovis and B. bigemina. Our knowledge on relevant parasite moleculesthat act in the interface with the mammalian and tick hosts is rapidlyincreasing in the postgenomic era and will aid in the development of new andimprovement of known immunotherapeutic interventions.