Analysis of Genetic Diversity of cytb gene from Babesia gibsoni Isolates from Naturally Infected Dogs in Karnataka, India

• Published in: Acta parasitologica Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 375 - 383
• Main Authors: Vijaykumar, Lavanya K., Chikkachowdappa, Puttalakshmamma G., Venkatappa, Mohan H., Gowda, Anand K. Javare, Jacob, Siju Susan, Mani, Saminathan, Bayyappa, Manjunatha Reddy Gundallahalli
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animals; Atovaquone; Atovaquone - pharmacology; Babesia - classification; Babesia - genetics; Babesia - isolation & purification; Babesia gibsoni; Babesiosis; Babesiosis - parasitology; Bioinformatics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Clustering; Conservation; CytB gene; Cytochromes b - genetics; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dogs; Drug Resistance - genetics; Ecology; Genetic analysis; Genetic diversity; Genetic variability; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Genotypes; Haplotypes; India; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Network analysis; Nucleotide sequence; Nucleotides; Original Paper; Parasitology; PCR; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Point mutation; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Population studies; India; Karnataka India; Cytochrome; Phylogenetic analysis; Genetic diversity; gene; Dogs; Babesia gibsoni; Cytochrome b gene
• ISSN: 1230-2821; 1896-1851; 1896-1851
• DOI: 10.1007/s11686-023-00757-z

Purpose The study aimed to investigate genetic diversity in Babesia gibsoni , the causative agent of canine babesiosis, and to assess the presence of atovaquone-resistant isolates in naturally infected dogs. Methods A total of 24 blood samples confirmed for B. gibsoni infection was subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing based on cytb gene. Genetic characterization of B. gibsoni as well as attempts to detect the point mutation rendering atovaquone resistance was carried out based on the analysis of nucleotide sequence of cytb gene using bioinformatics software. Results The findings indicated that the B. gibsoni isolates in the investigation exhibited a high nucleotide identity with the Asian genotype, ranging from 98.41 to 98.69%. Notably, none of the isolates carried cytb gene variants associated with atovaquone resistance. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clustering of most isolates with those from Japan and China, except for one isolate forming a distinct subclade. Haplotype network analysis indicated a high diversity with 22 distinct haplotypes among the B. gibsoni isolates, emphasizing the genetic variability within the studied population. Conclusion In conclusion, the cytb gene exhibited remarkable conservation among the twenty-four B. gibsoni isolates studied and the study represents the first genetic diversity assessment of B. gibsoni using the cytb gene in dogs from India. These findings shed light on the genetic characteristics of B. gibsoni in the region and provide valuable insight for addressing the challenges posed by this life-threatening disease in dogs.