Evaluation on Infectivity of Babesia microti to Domestic Animals and Ticks Outside the Ixodes Genus

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 8; p. 1915
• Main Authors: Wu, Jiajun, Cao, Jie, Zhou, Yongzhi, Zhang, Houshuang, Gong, Haiyan, Zhou, Jinlin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 06.10.2017
• Subjects: Babesia microti; domestic animals; experimental infection; Haemaphysalis longicornis; Microbiology; tick; domestic animals; experimental infection; Haemaphysalis longicornis; tick; Babesia microti
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01915

Babesiosis caused by parasite is an emerging tick borne zoonotic disease that was confirmed recently in China. To understand the epidemiology characteristics of this emerging disease, infectivity of to domestic animals and ticks outside the genus Ixodes was evaluated in this study. Different domestic animals, chick, pig, goat, dog and the reference host rat were experimentally inoculated with -infected erythrocytes and the parasite infection was monitored daily by blood smear observation, real-time PCR detection, nested-PCR and special antibody responses during 55 days period. The results showed that rats infected with showed a typical sustained infection with strongly antibody responses; however, both goats and dogs infected with only showed transient antibody responses and the parasite was not found by blood smear observation or PCR; neither the parasite nor the special antibodies were detected in experimental chicks and pigs. On the other hand, the present study also experimentally investigated the infectivity of to , and three species of ticks outside the genus Ixodes and the transmission experiment of between ticks and mice. Results showed that can be detected in the nymph and adult of these species after molting from engorged tick fed on infected mice, but the parasite was not detected in larvae hatching from eggs of engorged female tick fed on the infected mice. Transmission of to mice by infected nymphs was confirmed. These results indicated that these domestic animals do not have reservoir competence for , however, three species of ticks out of the genus Ixodes, common in China were successfully infected by , with showing the potential of transmitting the parasite to the vertebrate host.