Herwaldt Barbara L, Cacciò Simone, Gherlinzoni Filippo, Aspöck Horst, Slemenda Susan B, Piccaluga PierPaolo, Martinelli Giovanni, Edelhofer Renate, Hollenstein Ursula, Poletti Giovanni, Pampiglione Silvio, Löschenberger Karin, Tura Sante, Pieniazek Norman J
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2003 Aug;9(8):942-8. doi: 10.3201/eid0908.020748.
In Europe, most reported human cases of babesiosis have been attributed, without strong molecular evidence, to infection with the bovine parasite Babesia divergens. We investigated the first known human cases of babesiosis in Italy and Austria, which occurred in two asplenic men. The complete 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene was amplified from specimens of their whole blood by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). With phylogenetic analysis, we compared the DNA sequences of the PCR products with those for other Babesia spp. The DNA sequences were identical for the organism from the two patients. In phylogenetic analysis, the organism clusters with B. odocoilei, a parasite of white-tailed deer; these two organisms form a sister group with B. divergens. This evidence indicates the patients were not infected with B. divergens but with an organism with previously unreported molecular characteristics for the 18S rRNA gene.
在欧洲，多数报告的人类巴贝斯虫病病例在缺乏有力分子证据的情况下，被归因于感染了牛寄生虫分歧巴贝斯虫（Babesia divergens）。我们调查了意大利和奥地利首例已知的人类巴贝斯虫病病例，患者为两名无脾男性。通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）从他们的全血标本中扩增出完整的18S核糖体RNA（18S rRNA）基因。通过系统发育分析，我们将PCR产物的DNA序列与其他巴贝斯虫属物种的序列进行了比较。两名患者体内病原体的DNA序列相同。在系统发育分析中，该病原体与白尾鹿寄生虫奥氏巴贝斯虫（B. odocoilei）聚类；这两种病原体与分歧巴贝斯虫构成姐妹群。这一证据表明，患者感染的并非分歧巴贝斯虫，而是一种18S rRNA基因具有此前未报告分子特征的病原体。
