title: Survey of babesiosis in symptomatic dogs from Romania: occurrence of Babesia gibsoni associated with breed.
abstract: Blood samples from 49 symptomatic dogs from 5 western and north-western counties of Romania were screened using microscopic examination, polymerase-chain-reaction-restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism procedure (PCR-RFLP), and sequence analysis. Results of the microscopic evaluation of stained blood smears revealed 45 positive samples with the presence of large and small intraerythrocytic piroplasms in 35 and 10 samples, respectively. Babesia canis (35/49, 71.4%) and Babesia gibsoni (14/49, 28.6%) were identified and differentiated by PCR-RFLP targeting the 18S rRNA gene. Results of the sequence analysis of all B. gibsoni and 17 randomly selected B. canis PCR products confirmed the PCR-RFLP-diagnosed species. The distribution of B. gibsoni infection was positively associated (p<0.001) with fighting dog breeds including infection in 12 American Pit Bull Terriers and one American Staffordshire Terrier. This report is the first to present molecular evidence of the occurrence of B. gibsoni in Romania confirmed by sequencing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Banat's University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Timişoara, Calea Aradului No. 119, 300645 Timişoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Mirela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imre
authors.forename: Róbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farkas
authors.forename: Marius Stelian
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ilie
authors.forename: Kálmán
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imre
authors.forename: Gheorghe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dărăbuş
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D001483:Base Sequence; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S
keywords: Babesia canis; Babesia gibsoni; Babesiosis; Dog; Fighting breed; Romania