title: Genotypic status of Babesia microti within the piroplasms.
abstract: For resolution of the controversial taxonomic status of Babesia microti in relation to other Babesia and Theileria spp. a phylogenetic analysis of an American and a German B. microti strain was performed on the basis of sequences of the small-subunit rRNA gene (rDNA) using distance-matrix, maximum-parsimony, and maximum-likelihood algorithms. Both B. microti isolates clearly separated from a group containing other Babesia spp. as well as from a second group consisting of Theileria spp. Interestingly, the B. microti isolates clustered in a monophyletic group together with other piroplasm species of unclear taxonomic status, B. rodhaini, and a recently described small canine piroplasm species. These results support the existence of a third taxonomic entity of equal rank besides the Babesiidae and Theileriidae.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Vergleichende Tropenmedizin und Parasitologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany. monika.zahler@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zahler
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rinder
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gothe
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016792:Piroplasmida / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S