title: First record of Babesia sp. in Antarctic penguins.
abstract: This is the first reported case of Babesia sp. in Antarctic penguins, specifically a population of Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) in the Vapour Col penguin rookery in Deception Island, South Shetlands, Antarctica. We collected peripheral blood from 50 adult and 30 chick Chinstrap penguins. Examination of the samples by microscopy showed intraerythrocytic forms morphologically similar to other avian Babesia species in 12 Chinstrap penguin adults and seven chicks. The estimated parasitaemias ranged from 0.25×10(-2)% to 0.75×10(-2)%. Despite the low number of parasites found in blood smears, semi-nested PCR assays yielded a 274 bp fragment in 12 of the 19 positive blood samples found by microscopy. Sequencing revealed that the fragment was 97% similar to Babesia sp. 18S rRNA from Australian Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) confirming presence of the parasite. Parasite prevalence estimated by microscopy in adults and chicks was higher (24% vs. 23.3%, respectively) than found by semi-nested PCR (16% vs. 13.3% respectively). Although sampled penguins were apparently healthy, the effect of Babesia infection in these penguins is unknown. The identification of Babesia sp. in Antarctic penguins is an important finding. Ixodes uriae, as the only tick species present in the Antarctic Peninsula, is the key to understanding the natural history of this parasite. Future work should address the transmission dynamics and pathogenicity of Babesia sp. in Chinstrap penguin as well as in other penguin species, such as Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) and Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), present within the tick distribution range in the Antarctic Peninsula.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Carretera Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km 2,2, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: estrella.montero@isciii.es.
authors.forename: Estrella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Carretera Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km 2,2, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis Miguel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Carretera Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km 2,2, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaparro
authors.affiliation: Department Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas - CSIC, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benzal
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios de Sistemas Marinos CENPAT-CONICET, Bvd. Almirante Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn U9120ACD, Chubut, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertellotti
authors.affiliation: Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Av. de Elvas s/n, 06071 Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Masero
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colominas-Ciuró
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbosa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions / Q000453:epidemiology; D001403:Babesia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D062312:Islands; D018884:Ixodes / Q000469:parasitology; D008853:Microscopy; D018512:Parasitemia; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D046429:Spheniscidae / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S
keywords: Antarctica; Babesia sp.; Deception Island; Pygoscelis antarctica (Chinstrap penguin); Vapour Col penguin rookery