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COMPARATIVE INFECTIVITY OF BABESIA DIVERGENS AND A ZOONOTIC BABESIA DIVERGENS–LIKE PARASITE IN CATTLE

Babesia divergens–like parasites identified in human babesiosis cases in Missouri and Kentucky and in eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, share identical small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences. This sequence is 99.8% identical to that of Babesia divergens, suggesting that the U.S. parasite may be B. divergens, a causative agent of human and bovine babesiosis in Europe. Holstein-Friesian calves were inoculated with cultured Nantucket Island Babesia sp. (NR831) and B. divergens parasites and monitored by clinical signs, Giemsa-stained blood films, PCR, and culture. The NR831 recipients did not exhibit clinical signs of infection and remained negative for all assays. The B. divergens recipients developed clinical infections and became positive by all assays. NR831 recipients were fully susceptible upon challenge inoculation with B. divergens. This study confirms that the Nantucket Island Babesia sp. is not conspecific with B. divergens based on host specificity for cattle.

Received June 17, 2005. Accepted for publication August 8, 2005.

Acknowledgments: The authors extend their thanks to Kathy Feldner and others at WSU Animal Resource Unit for animal care, Emma Karel, Lori Fuller, and Duane Chandler at ADRU for sample collections, and Shirley Sandoval and others in the WSU Large Animal Hospital for surgical assistance.

Financial support: This study was supported in part by USDA-ARS-ADRU-CRIS no. 5348-32000-020-00D, NIAID NIH RO3 AI054799-01, and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Project 8973.

^* Address correspondence to Will L. Goff, Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 3003 ADBF, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6630. E-mail: wgoff{at}vetmed.wsu.edu

Authors’ addresses: Patricia J. Holman and Angela M. Spencer, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, TAMU 4467, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467, Telephone: 979-845-4202, Fax: 979-862-2344, E-mail: pholman{at}cvm.tamu.edu and aspencer{at}cvm.tamu.edu. Sam R. Telford, III and Heidi K. Goethert, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, Telephone: 508-887-4236 and 508-839-7929, Fax: 508-839-7911, E-mail: Sam.Telford{at}tufts.edu and Heidi.Goethert{at}tufts.edu. Andrew J. Allen, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, Telephone: 509-335-0784, Fax: 509-335-6094, E-mail: aja{at}vetmed.wsu.edu. Donald P. Knowles and Will L. Goff, Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Pullman, WA 99164-6630, Telephone: 509-335-6029, Fax: 509-335-8328, E-mail: dknowles{at}vetmed.wsu.edu and wgoff{at}vetmed.wsu.edu.

Reprint requests: Will L. Goff, Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 3003 ADBF, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6630, Telephone: 509-335-6003, E-mail: wgoff{at}vetmed.wsu.edu.