Cantu Antonio, Ortega-S J Alfonso, Mosqueda Juan, Garcia-Vazquez Zeferino, Henke Scott E, George John E
Texas A&M University-Kinsgsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, MSC 218, 700 University Blvd., Kingsville, Texas 78363, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2007 Jul;43(3):504-7. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-43.3.504.
The suitability of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) as hosts for the cattle ticks Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus, has been well documented. These ticks have a wide host range, and both transmit Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina, the agents responsible for bovine babesiosis. Although this disease and its vectors have been eradicated from the United States and some states in northern Mexico, it still is a problem in other Mexican states. It is not known if wild cervids like white-tailed deer can act as reservoirs for bovine babesiosis. The purpose of this study was to determine if B. bovis and B. bigemina or antibodies against them occur in white-tailed deer in the states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, Mexico. Twenty blood samples from white-tailed deer from two ranches were collected and tested with a nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) and indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) for B. bovis and B. bigemina. Eleven samples were positive for B. bigemina and four for B. bovis by nested PCR; amplicon sequences were identical to those reported in GenBank for B. bovis (Rap 1) and B. bigemina. Results of the IFA test showed the presence of specific antibodies in serum samples. This is the first report of the presence of B. bovis and B. bigemina in white-tailed deer using these techniques and underscores the importance of cervids as possible reservoirs for bovine babesiosis.
白尾鹿（Odocoileus virginianus）作为微小牛蜱（Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus）和环形牛蜱（Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus）宿主的适宜性，已有充分的文献记载。这些蜱的宿主范围广泛，且均传播牛巴贝斯虫（Babesia bovis）和双芽巴贝斯虫（Babesia bigemina），它们是引起牛巴贝斯虫病的病原体。尽管这种疾病及其传播媒介在美国和墨西哥北部的一些州已被根除，但在墨西哥的其他州仍然是个问题。尚不清楚像白尾鹿这样的野生有蹄类动物是否可作为牛巴贝斯虫病的储存宿主。本研究的目的是确定在墨西哥新莱昂州和塔毛利帕斯州的白尾鹿中是否存在牛巴贝斯虫和双芽巴贝斯虫或针对它们的抗体。采集了来自两个牧场的20份白尾鹿血样，并用巢式聚合酶链反应（巢式PCR）和间接免疫荧光抗体试验（IFAT）检测牛巴贝斯虫和双芽巴贝斯虫。通过巢式PCR，11份样本双芽巴贝斯虫呈阳性，4份样本牛巴贝斯虫呈阳性；扩增子序列与GenBank中报道的牛巴贝斯虫（Rap 1）和双芽巴贝斯虫的序列相同。IFA试验结果显示血清样本中存在特异性抗体。这是首次使用这些技术报告白尾鹿中存在牛巴贝斯虫和双芽巴贝斯虫，并强调了有蹄类动物作为牛巴贝斯虫病可能储存宿主的重要性。
