title: Establishment of a novel tick-Babesia experimental infection model.
abstract: Ticks are potent vectors of many deadly human and animal pathogens. Tick-borne babesiosis is a well-recognized malaria-like disease that occurs worldwide and recently has attracted increased attention as an emerging zoonosis. Although the proliferation of Babesia organisms is essential in the vectors, their detailed lifecycle with time information for migration in ticks remains unknown. A novel study model for the elucidation of the migration speed of Babesia parasites in their vector tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, has been developed using an artificial feeding system with quantitative PCR method. The detectable DNA of Babesia parasites gradually disappeared in the tick midgut at 1 day post engorgement (DPE), and in contrary increased in other organs. The results indicated that the Babesia parasite passed the H. longicornis midgut within 24 hours post engorgement, migrated to the hemolymph, and then proliferated in the organs except the midgut. This time point may be an important curfew for Babesia parasites to migrate in the tick lumen. We also visualized the Babesia parasites in the experimentally infected ticks and in their eggs using IFAT for detecting their cytoskeletal structure, which suggested the successful tick infection and transovarial transmission of the parasite. This model will shed light on the further understanding of tick-Babesia interactions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.|Department of Pathological and Preventive Veterinary Science, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0374, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatta
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.|National Institute of Animal Health, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: M Abdul
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alim
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0374, Japan.
authors.forename: Daigo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsubokawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0374, Japan.
authors.forename: Fusako
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mikami
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen-cho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Animal Health, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0856, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Umemiya-Shirafuji
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichiro
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kawazu
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.|Department of Pathological and Preventive Veterinary Science, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan.
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0374, Japan.
authors.forename: Naotoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.|Department of Pathological and Preventive Veterinary Science, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D004199:Disease Vectors; D007422:Intestines / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008954:Models, Biological; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013987:Ticks / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA