Bonnet Sarah, Brisseau Nadine, Hermouet Axelle, Jouglin Maggy, Chauvin Alain
UMR ENVN, INRA 1300 BIOEPAR, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Nantes, Interactions Hôte-Parasite-Milieu, Atlanpole-La Chantrerie, BP 40706, 44307 Nantes Cedex 03, France.
Vet Res. 2009 May-Jun;40(3):21. doi: 10.1051/vetres/2009004. Epub 2009 Feb 13.
Babesia sp. (EU1), first characterized in 2003, has been implicated in human cases of babesiosis in Italy, Austria and Germany. It has been identified in roe deer and in its suspected tick vector, Ixodes ricinus, in several European countries. The aim of the present study was to validate the competence of I. ricinus as a vector of Babesia sp. (EU1) via experimental infections. For this purpose, a parasite strain isolated from roe deer was cloned in sheep erythrocytes. After experimental infections, parasite DNA was successfully amplified by PCR in both eggs and larvae originating from infected I. ricinus females and in the salivary glands of females exposed to Babesia sp. (EU1) as nymphs. We also demonstrate that infected females were able to transmit parasite DNA during a new blood meal. Together with previous epidemiological studies, these results validate I. ricinus as a competent vector for Babesia sp. (EU1).
巴贝斯虫属（EU1）于2003年首次被鉴定，在意大利、奥地利和德国的人类巴贝斯虫病病例中被发现。在几个欧洲国家的狍子及其疑似蜱传播媒介蓖麻硬蜱中也发现了该病原体。本研究的目的是通过实验性感染来验证蓖麻硬蜱作为巴贝斯虫属（EU1）传播媒介的能力。为此，从狍子分离出的寄生虫菌株在绵羊红细胞中进行克隆。实验性感染后，通过PCR成功地在受感染的蓖麻硬蜱雌性所产的卵和幼虫以及若虫期接触过巴贝斯虫属（EU1）的雌性蜱的唾液腺中扩增出寄生虫DNA。我们还证明，受感染的雌性蜱在再次吸血时能够传播寄生虫DNA。结合先前的流行病学研究，这些结果证实蓖麻硬蜱是巴贝斯虫属（EU1）的有效传播媒介。
