Fatal experimental transplacental Babesia gibsoni infections in dogs.
A Babesia gibsoni infected bitch was mated with an uninfected dog in order to determine whether this parasite could be vertically transmitted. The bitch delivered a litter of four live and one stillborn pup. The four pups died from congenital babesiosis between 14 and 39 days post-birth. Babesia gibsoni DNA was detected in tissue from all five pups. These results show that vertical transmission occurred by the uterine route and not via the transmammary route. This is the first confirmed report of transplacental Babesia infection in any animal species.
Fukumoto
Shinya
S
Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Suzuki
Hiroshi
H
Igarashi
Ikuo
I
Xuan
Xuenan
X
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001403:Babesia / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000151:congenital / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000662:veterinary; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000662:veterinary
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D016054:DNA, Protozoan