title: Differentiation between Israeli B. bovis vaccine strain and field isolates.
abstract: The present study demonstrated for the first time the ability to distinguish between the Israeli Babesia bovis vaccine strain and field isolates. The existence of an additional EcoRI restriction site in the rhoptry-associated protein-1 (rap-1) gene, which is unique to the Israeli vaccine strain, and the abolition of one of the HaeIII restriction sites in the rap-1 gene of the vaccine strain enabled distinction between the Israeli B. bovis vaccine strain and field isolates, and this was the basis for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) development. ClustalW sequence alignment of RAP-1-deduced amino acids of the Israeli B. bovis strains and of field isolates showed that the total sequence identity among the RAP-1 amino acid sequences ranged from 97.5% to 100%. However, comparison between amino acids of RAP-1 of the Israeli vaccine strain and of field isolates, on the one hand, and B. bovis strains from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and USA, on the other hand, revealed 90% identity. The PCR-RFLP assay offered the great advantage of being able to distinguish between vaccine and field isolates in mixtures and provide new insight into the molecular epidemiology of B. bovis infections in Israel.
authors: Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. Electronic address: moladt@int.gov.il.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Molad
authors: Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Fleiderovitz
authors: Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Leibovitz
authors: Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Wolkomirsky
authors: Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Behar
authors: Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Markovics
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016793:Babesia bovis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015415:Biomarkers; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D007557:Israel; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D048494:Rhipicephalus / Q000469:parasitology; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines
keywords: Babesia bovis; Cattle; Israel; RAP-1