Phylogenetic and biologic evidence that Babesia divergens is not endemic in the United States.
The causative agent of human babesiosis in a Kentucky case, which was first identified as Babesia divergens, is identical to a parasite of eastern cottontail rabbits on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts based on piroplasm size, morphology, and ribosomal RNA sequence analysis. Studies showing differential infectivity for cattle, host erythrocyte specificity in vitro, parasite size and morphology in vitro, and ribosomal RNA sequences clearly demonstrate that the parasite from the rabbit (conspecific with the human Kentucky agent) is not the same organism as B. divergens.
Holman
Patricia J
PJ
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. pholman@cvm.tamu.edu
D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D005838:Genotype; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits / Q000469:parasitology*; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015047:Zoonoses
D012335:RNA, Ribosomal