title: Development and evaluation of a nested PCR based on spherical body protein 2 gene for the diagnosis of Babesia bovis infection.
abstract: We developed and evaluated a nested PCR assay for the diagnosis of Babesia bovis infection in cattle based on the spherical body protein 2 gene (SBP2) from B. bovis. The specificity and sensitivity of the test were compared with the B. bovis RAP-1 gene nPCR. The SBP2 primers have specificities of 100% for B. bovis DNA. The sensitivity of the SBP2 nPCR to B. bovis from the in vitro cultured parasites was higher than that of the B. bovis RAP-1 gene nPCR, and a parasitemia as low as 10(-8)% was detected. The sensitivity of the SBP2 nPCR to B. bovis-diluted genomic DNA was also higher than that of B. bovis RAP-1 gene nPCR, and as little as 1fg per test detected. For field applications, the sensitivity to a total of 145 field samples from Ghana, Mongolia, and Brazil was evaluated. The nPCR assay of spherical body protein-2 gene detected 87.6% (127/145), while B. bovis RAP-1 gene nPCR detected 37.2% (51/145) of the total samples examined. This nPCR assay provides a good diagnostic tool for the laboratory diagnostic assessment of B. bovis infection in cattle worldwide.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: AbouLaila
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Igarashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016793:Babesia bovis / Q000235:genetics; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C550565:spherical body protein 2, Babesia bovis