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Foughali AA, Jedidi M, Dhibi M, Mhadhbi M, Sassi L, Berber A, Bitam I, Gharbi M. Infection by haemopathogens and tick infestation of sheep during summer season in Constantine region, Northeast Algeria. Vet Med Sci 2021; 7:1769-1777. [PMID: 34142461 PMCID: PMC8464294 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A study on tick infestation of 43 sheep with clinical symptoms of piroplasmosis and anaplasmosis was carried out during summer seasons of 2016 and 2017 in 34 sheep flocks from Beni Hamidene locality, district of Constantine, Northeast Algeria. Only animals with clinical symptoms of piroplasmosis and/or anaplasmosis were checked for tick infestation. Among the 43 examined sheep, 58 ± 15% were infested by ticks. A total of 185 adult ticks (100 males and 85 females) were collected from the 25 sheep. Two tick genera, Rhipicephalus and Hyalomma consisting of four species were collected, Rhipicephalus bursa was the most frequent tick (164/185; 88.6 ± 4.6%), followed by Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (16/185; 8.6 ± 4%), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (4/185; 2.2 ± 2.1%) and Hyalomma scupense (1/185; 0.5 ± 1%). Mean overall tick infestation intensity was 7.4. Mixed infestations with two tick species were found in 10 sheep (23.3 ± 12.6%). All farmers (34/34) used ivermectin, and only 11% of them used acaricide to control ticks. The majority of R. bursa ticks (87/185; 45 ± 7%) were located on the ears 37/185; 20 ± 6%) and the testicles (50/185; 27 ± 6%). Giemsa-stained blood smears examination showed the presence of three haemopathogens: Anaplasma spp. (19/43; 44 ± 15%); Babesia spp. (6/43; 14 ± 10%) and Theileria spp. (1/43; 2 ± 4%). These results showed the presence of several low infestation burdens by ticks transmitting three haemopathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Amina Foughali
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Environnement: Interactions et Génomes, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumédiène, Algies, Algeria.,Institut des Sciences Vétérinaires, Université Saad Dahlab, Blida, Algeria
| | - Mohamed Jedidi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles & Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Moktar Dhibi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles & Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Moez Mhadhbi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles & Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Limam Sassi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles & Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Ali Berber
- Laboratoire des Biotechnologies Liées à la Reproduction Animale (LBRA), Université Blida 1, Blida, Algeria
| | - Idir Bitam
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Environnement: Interactions et Génomes, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumédiène, Algies, Algeria.,École Supérieure en Sciences de l'Aliment et des Industries Agroalimentaires (ESSAIA), El Harrach, Alger, Algeria
| | - Mohamed Gharbi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles & Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
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Challenges in Tick-Borne Pathogen Detection: The Case for Babesia spp. Identification in the Tick Vector. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10020092. [PMID: 33498304 PMCID: PMC7909277 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10020092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The causative agents of Babesiosis are intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Babesia. Babesia parasites are present around the world, affecting several mammals including humans, pets and livestock, hence its medical and veterinary relevance. Babesia spp. detection in its invertebrate host is a main point in understanding the biology of the parasite to acquire more knowledge on the host–Babesia–vector interactions, as increasing knowledge of the Babesia lifecycle and babesiosis epidemiology can help prevent babesiosis outbreaks in susceptible mammals. The aim of the present review is to highlight the newest findings in this field, based on a bibliographic compilation of research studies recently carried out for the detection of the main Babesia species found in tick vectors affecting mammalian hosts, including the different tick stages such as adult ticks, larvae, nymphs and eggs, as well as the detection method implemented: microscopic tools for parasite identification and molecular tools for parasite DNA detection by conventional PCR, nested-PCR, PCR-RFLP, PCR-RLB hybridization, real time-PCR, LAMP and RAP assays. Although molecular identification of Babesia parasites has been achieved in several tick species and tissue samples, it is still necessary to carry out transmission experiments through biological models to confirm the vectorial capacity of various tick species.
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Rosa C, Asada M, Hakimi H, Domingos A, Pimentel M, Antunes S. Transient transfection of Babesia ovis using heterologous promoters. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019; 10:101279. [PMID: 31481343 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Babesia species, etiological agents of babesiosis, a recognized emerging tick-borne disease, are a significant animal and human health concern with a worldwide socio-economic impact. The development of genetic manipulation techniques, such as transfection technology, is pivotal to improve knowledge regarding the biology of these poorly studied parasites towards better disease control strategies. For Babesia ovis, responsible for ovine babesiosis, a tick-borne disease of small ruminants, these tools are not yet available. The present study was based on the existence of interchangeable cross-species functional promoters between Babesia species. Herein, we describe for the first time B. ovis transient transfection using two heterologous promoters, the ef-1α-B intergenic regions from B. bovis and B. ovata. Their ability to drive expression of a reporter luciferase in B. ovis supports their cross-species functionality. Also, the ef-1α-B promoter region from B. ovata resulted in statistically significantly higher luminescence values in comparison to the control, thus a possibly suitable promoter for stable gene expression. Evaluation of transfection efficiency using qPCR demonstrated that higher luminescence levels were due to promoter strength rather than a higher transfection efficiency. These findings represent a step forward in the development of methods for B. ovis genetic manipulation, an undoubtedly necessary tool to study this parasite basic biology, including its life cycle, the parasite interactions with host cells and virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Rosa
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003, Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT-UNL), R. da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Masahito Asada
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Sakamoto 1-12-4, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Hassan Hakimi
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Sakamoto 1-12-4, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Ana Domingos
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT-UNL), R. da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal; Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (GHTM-IHMT-UNL), Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008, Portugal
| | - Madalena Pimentel
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sandra Antunes
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT-UNL), R. da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisboa, Portugal; Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (GHTM-IHMT-UNL), Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008, Portugal
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