title: The PCR detection and phylogenetic characterization of Babesia microti in questing ticks in Mongolia.
abstract: Babesia microti is a tick-transmitted zoonotic hemoprotozoan parasite. In the present study, we investigated B. microti infection in questing ticks in Mongolia. A total of 219 questing ticks were collected from three different Mongolian provinces (Bayan-Olgii, Khovsgol, and Selenge). Of these, 63 from Selenge were identified as Ixodes persulcatus, while the remaining 156 (from all three provinces) were identified as Dermacentor nuttalli. When the tick DNA samples were screened using a B. microti-specific nested PCR, 19 (30.2%) of the 63 I. persulcatus ticks were found to be B. microti-positive. The parasite was not detected in D. nuttalli. Subsequently, the 18S rRNA, cox1, and tufA sequences of B. microti were amplified, sequenced, and subjected to phylogenetic analyses. Sequencing analyses showed that the Mongolian 18S rRNA, cox1, and tufA sequences were 99.6-100%, 96.7-97.2%, and 94.7-95.3% homologous, respectively, with B. microti R1 strain US-type sequences from humans. In the phylogenetic analyses, the Mongolian cox1 and tufA sequences were found to be separate lineages, which formed sister-clades to the R1 strain sequences, while all of the Mongolian B. microti 18S rRNA sequences were clustered within US-type clade containing several other sequences of human origin. In conclusion, in addition to reporting the presence of B. microti for the first time in questing ticks in Mongolia, the present study found that Mongolian I. persulcatus ticks were infected with US-type B. microti. These findings warrant large-scale studies to detect and characterize B. microti in ticks, small mammals, and humans. Such studies should provide us with a better understanding of zoonotic Babesia epidemiology in Mongolia.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan; Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian State University of Agriculture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
authors.forename: Bumduuren
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tuvshintulga
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Thillaiampalam
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sivakumar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian State University of Agriculture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
authors.forename: Badgar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Battsetseg
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian State University of Agriculture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
authors.forename: Sandag-ochir
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Narantsatsaral
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian State University of Agriculture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
authors.forename: Batsaikhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Enkhtaivan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian State University of Agriculture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
authors.forename: Banzragch
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Battur
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan. Electronic address: yokoyama@obihiro.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041001:Babesia microti / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D018884:Ixodes / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D008986:Mongolia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu
keywords: 18S rRNA; B. microti; Mongolia; Ticks; cox1; tufA