title: A Molecular Survey ofBabesiaSpecies and Detection of a NewBabesiaSpecies by DNA Related toB. venatorumfrom White Yaks in Tianzhu, China.
abstract: Bovine babesiosis is a tick-transmitted disease caused by different species ofBabesia. The white yak is a unique yak breed that lives only in Tianzhu in the Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province, in northwestern China. Previous research using the ELISA method has confirmed that the white yak could become infected withB. bigemina. The objective of this study was the molecular detection and identification ofBabesiaspecies in white yaks. A total of 409 white yak blood samples were collected from 11 areas of the Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County in Northwest China from April to August, 2015. The V4 hypervariable region ofBabesia18S rRNA was amplified from extracted genomic DNA using nested PCR and sequenced. The nearly full-length sequence of 18S rRNA including the V4 region from the newly discoveredBabesiawas amplified and sequenced with Sanger method. PCR detection and sequencing indicated that 4/409 samples were positive forB. bigemina, 3/409 samples were positive forB. bovis, and 5/409 samples were positive forB. ovata.Additionally, a newBabesiaspecies was found in 4/409 white yaks. A unique sequence of 1,627 bp was obtained from two of the four samples. The sequence was similar toBabesiaspecies Akita (98.5%) found inIxodes ovatusandB. venatorum(98%) and shared a 98% identity withB. divergensand a 98.1% identity withB. odocoilei. This study provides new data aboutBabesiainfections in white yaks in northwestern China, and a newBabesiaspecies similar toB. venatorumwas identified in white yaks for the first time.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesLanzhou, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and ZoonosesYangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Junlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesLanzhou, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and ZoonosesYangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Guiquan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesLanzhou, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and ZoonosesYangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Youquan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesLanzhou, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and ZoonosesYangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Aihong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesLanzhou, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and ZoonosesYangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jianxun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesLanzhou, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and ZoonosesYangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yin
keywords: 18S rRNA; Babesia; Babesia venatorum; Northwest China; white yak