Unravelling the cellular and molecular pathogenesis of bovine babesiosis: is the sky the limit?

Unravelling the cellular and molecular pathogenesis of bovine babesiosis: is the sky the limit? Int J Parasitol. 2019 Jan 25;: Authors: Suarez CE, Alzan HF, Silva MG, Rathinasamy V, Poole WA, Cooke BM Abstract The global impact of bovine babesiosis caused by the tick-borne apicomplexan parasites Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina and Babesia divergens is vastly underappreciated. These parasites invade and multiply asexually in bovine red blood cells (RBCs), undergo sexual reproduction in their tick vectors (Rhipicephalus spp. for B. bovis and B. bigemina, and Ixodes ricinus for B. divergens) and have a trans-ovarial mode of transmission. Babesia parasites can cause acute and persistent infections to adult naïve cattle that can occur without evident clinical signs, but infections caused by B. bovis are associated with more severe disease and increased mortality, and are considered to be the most virulent agent of bovine babesiosis. In addition, babesiosis caused by B. divergens has an important zoonotic potential. The disease caused by B. bovis and B. bigemina can be controlled, at least in part, using therapeutic agents or vaccines comprising live-attenuated parasites, but these methods are limited in terms of their safety, ease of deployability and long-term efficacy, and improved control measures are urgently needed. In addition, expansion of tick habitats due to climate change and other rapidly changing environmental factors complic...
Source: International Journal for Parasitology - Category: Parasitology Authors: Tags: Int J Parasitol Source Type: research