Babesia pisicii n. sp. and Babesia canis Infect European Wild Cats, Felis silvestris, in Romania

Description of Babesia galileei sp. nov. A Piroplasmid species causing severe disease in domestic cats

BACKGROUND

Babesiosis is a tick-borne infection caused by piroplasmid protozoa and associated with anemia and severe disease in humans, domestic animals and wildlife. Domestic cats are infected by at least six Babesia spp. that cause clinical disease.

METHODS

Infection with a piroplasmid species was detected by microscopy of stained blood smears in three sick cats from Israel. Genetic characterization of the piroplasmid was performed by PCR amplification of the 18S rRNA, cytochorme B (CytB) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) genes and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) locus, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. In addition, Haemaphysalis adleri ticks collected from two cats were analyzed by PCR for piroplasmids.

RESULTS

The infected cats presented with anemia and thrombocytopenia (3/3), fever (2/3) and icterus (1/3). Comparison of gene and loci sequences found 99-100% identity between sequences amplified from different cats and ticks. Constructed phylogenetic trees and DNA sequence comparisons demonstrated a previously undescribed Babesia sp. belonging to the Babesia sensu stricto (clade X). The piroplasm forms detected included pear-shaped merozoite and round-to-oval trophozoite stages with average sizes larger than those of Babesia felis, B. leo and B. lengau and smaller than canine Babesia s.s. spp. Four of 11 H. adleri adult ticks analyzed from cat # 3 were PCR positive for Babesia sp. with a DNA sequence identical to that found in the cats. Of these, two ticks were PCR positive in their salivary glands, suggesting that the parasite reached these glands and could possibly be transmitted by H. adleri.

CONCLUSIONS

This study describes genetic and morphological findings of a new Babesia sp. which we propose to name Babesia galileei sp. nov. after the Galilee region in northern Israel where two of the infected cats originated from. The salivary gland PCR suggests that this Babesia sp. may be transmitted by H. adleri. However, incriminating this tick sp. as the vector of B. galilee sp. nov. would require further studies.

Apicomplexan haemoparasites in domestic cats in Romania

BACKGROUND

Apicomplexan haemoparasites are protozoans that infect a variety of domestic and wild animal species, as well as humans. Data regarding haemoprotozoans in domestic cats are limited; therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of Babesia spp., Cytauxzoon spp., and Hepatozoon spp. in domestic cats in Romania using molecular tools.

METHODS

Blood samples from 371 domestic cats were screened for the presence of piroplasmids. All samples that yielded a visible band in agarose gels were subsequently tested by specific assays targeting the 18S rDNA of Babesia spp., Cytauxzoon spp., and Hepatozoon spp. Moreover, nested PCR assays targeting mitochondrial genes of Babesia spp. were used for screening of all Babesia spp. 18S rDNA-positive samples.

RESULTS

From the total number of sampled cats, 19.4% were positive in the PCR assay targeting piroplasmids. Babesia spp. were identified in 15.1% of cats, while 0.5% were positive for Hepatozoon spp. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of Babesia canis. No samples were positive for Cytauxzoon spp.

CONCLUSIONS

The high infection rates of domestic cats with Babesia spp. and the need for species differentiation highlight the importance of mitochondrial genes as targets for molecular protocols.

Molecular analysis of blood-associated pathogens in European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) from Germany

European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) have not been investigated in large numbers for blood-associated pathogens in Germany, because wildcats, being a protected species, may not be hunted, and the collection of samples is therefore difficult. Thus, spleen tissue and whole blood from 96 wildcats from Germany found as roadkill or dead from other causes in the years 1998–2020 were examined for the prevalence of blood associated pathogens using molecular genetic tools. PCR was used to screen for haemotrophic Mycoplasma spp., Hepatozoon spp., Cytauxzoon spp., Bartonella spp., Filarioidea, Anaplasmataceae, and Rickettsiales, and positive samples were subsequently sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses were performed for Mycoplasma spp. and Hepatozoon spp. by calculating phylogenetic trees and DNA haplotype networks. The following pathogens were found: Candidatus Mycoplasma haematominutum (7/96), Mycoplasma ovis (1/96), Hepatozoon silvestris (34/96), Hepatozoon felis (6/96), Cytauxzoon europaeus (45/96), and Bartonella spp. (3/96). This study elucidates the prevalence of blood-associated pathogens in wildcats from Germany.

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European wildcats from Germany carry different blood-associated pathogens.

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Pathogens can also affect domestic cats.

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Transmision by vectors or other transmisison routes are possible.

Description of a novel Babesia sp. genotype from a naturally infected Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Anatolia, Turkey, with remarks on its morphology and phylogenetic relation to other piroplasmid species

There are very limited data on Babesia species infecting lynx species worldwide, and almost nothing is known about babesias in the Eurasian lynx, the most widely distributed wild feline species in the Palearctic geography. This study describes a novel Babesia sp. genotype in a free-living Eurasian lynx in Turkey, named tentatively as 'Babesia sp. lynx', and its integrated genetic and morphological features. Phylogenetic analyses of piroplasmids with the novel Babesia sp. genotype in the current study indicated that this genotype falls into the 'carnivore clade A' of Babesia sensu stricto (true babesias), at the level of different genes (mainly 18S rRNA, ITS1, ITS2, and cyt b) and is monophyletic with the Babesia sp. Ankara genotype, previously observed in Turkey. Additionally, the constructed phylogenetic trees showed that the Babesia sp. lynx genotype infecting the Eurasian lynx is closely related to certain domestic and wild carnivore babesias, mainly Babesia rossi, Babesia presentii, and Babesia pisicii, at the level of different genes. This study also genetically barcoded the lynx infected with the Babesia sp. lynx and Haemaphysalis erinacei, and specimens collected from the animal revealed significant genetic variations between the sample Ha. erinacei and Babesia sp. Ankara-related Ha. erinacei that persists with sympatric populations in Central Anatolia. The lynx infected with the Babesia sp. lynx genotype was also found to be coinfected with Hepatozoon felis, an adeleorinid tick-borne protozoan parasite infecting wild and domestic felids, confirming for the first time its presence in a lynx species. Therefore, this study is the first to describe a potential novel Babesia sp. using its both morphological and phylogenetic characteristics in a lynx species. Adding the Babesia sp. lynx genotype to the phylogeny of feline piroplasmids significantly expands our knowledge of feline babesias in the Palearctic geography and their putative coevolution with their vertebrate hosts.