Babesiosis is a tick-transmitted disease of mammalian hosts, caused by the intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. Transmission of Babesia parasites from the vertebrate host to the tick is mediated by sexual stages, the gametocytes which are the only intraerythrocytic stages that survive and develop inside the vector. Very few data are available concerning these parasite sta...

INTRODUCTION The present study was designed to assess the occurrence of co-infection or cross-reaction in the serological techniques used for detecting the anti-Leishmania spp., -Babesia canis vogeli and -Ehrlichia canis antibodies in urban dogs from an area endemic to these parasites. METHODS The serum samples from dogs were tested for the Babesia canis vogeli strain Belo Horizonte antigen a...

The phylum Apicomplexa comprises intracellular protozoa that include many human pathogens. Their nearest relatives are chromerids and colpodellids. We report a case of a Babesia spp.-like relapsing infection caused by a newly described microorganism related to the Apicomplexa. This case is highly suggestive of a previously undescribed type of colpodellid that infects vertebrates.

Background: Tick-borne protozoan parasites (TBPPs) cause significant problems for domestic animals’ health in Nepal. TBPPs are routinely diagnosed by labor-intensive blood smear microscopy. In Nepal, there some reports of Babesia and Theileria cattle, although species identification is rarely performed. Therefore, we performed conventional nested PCR (nPCR) followed sequence analysis to identif...

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and significance of parasites of horses in northern Nigeria. Blood and faecal samples were randomly collected from 243 horses from different stables in some states of northern Nigeria for laboratory analyses. Fifty-seven horses (23.5%) were found infected with parasites. The hemoparasites detected, 21 (8.6%), include Theileria equi, Babesia c...

Since dogs presenting several vector borne diseases can show none or nonspecific clinical signs depending on the phase of infection, the assessment of the particular agents involved is mandatory. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Hepatozoon spp. and Leishmania spp. in blood samples and ticks, collected from two dogs from Rio Gra...

During the last few decades, blood safety efforts were mainly focused on preventing viral infections. However, humanity's increased mobility and improved migration pathways necessitate a global perspective regarding other transfusion-transmitted pathogens. This review focuses on the general infection risk of blood components for malaria, dengue virus, Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease) and Babe...

To the Editor: Human babesiosis caused by Babesia divergens, a zoonotic pathogen of bovines in Europe, is an emerging tickborne disease (1). In the United States, a closely related Babesia sp. was identified in persons in Missouri and Kentucky and in eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (2–5). We report that sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan als...