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MOLECULAR EVIDENCE OF BABESIA EQUI TRANSMISSION IN HAEMAPHYSALIS LONGICORNIS

We studied the tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, to determine the possibility of both transovarial and transstadial transmission of Babesia equi. We also studied the usefulness of the needle injection method for pathogenic tick-transmitted organisms including Babesia parasites. Erythrocytes infected with B. equi were injected into the midgut of engorged adults or nymphs using a hypodermic needle passed through the integument. DNA of B. equi in ticks was detected using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). B. equi DNA was present in adults, eggs, and larvae, indicating that transovarial transmission occurred. B. equi DNA was present in adults that developed from infected nymphs, and the B. equi antigen was present in their salivary glands, indicating that transstadial transmission occurred. These findings suggest that H. longicornis may play a role in the transmission of B. equi.

Received March 29, 2006. Accepted for publication August 18, 2006.

Financial support: This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research and Young Scientists from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; the Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant from the Japan Science Society; and the Kitasato University Research Grant for Young Researchers and Encouragement of Young Scientists.

^* Address correspondence to Hiromi Ikadai, Department of Veterinary Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori 034-8628, Japan. E-mail: ikadai{at}vmas.kitasato-u.ac.jp

Authors’ addresses: Hiromi Ikadai, Mizuki Sasaki, Hidekazu Ishida, and Takashi Oyamada, Department of Veterinary Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori 034-8628, Japan. Aya Matsuu, Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama-Minami 4-101, Tottori 680-8553, Japan. Ikuo Igarashi and Kozo Fujisaki, National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.

Reprint requests: Hiromi Ikadai, Department of Veterinary Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori 034-8628, Japan. E-mail: ikadai{at}vmas.kitasato-u.ac.jp.