Otgonsuren Davaajav, Sivakumar Thillaiampalam, Amgalanbaatar Tovuu, Enkhtaivan Batsaikhan, Narantsatsral Sandagdorj, Davaasuren Batdorj, Zoljargal Myagmar, Munkhgerel Dalantai, Davkharbayar Batbold, Batmagnai Enkhbaatar, Tuvshintulga Bumduuren, Ahedor Believe, Myagmarsuren Punsantsogvoo, Battur Banzragch, Battsetseg Badgar, Yokoyama Naoaki
National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2022 Jan;13(1):101871. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101871. Epub 2021 Nov 14.
Bovine babesiosis, which is caused by species of genus Babesia, is a leading cause of considerable economic losses to the cattle industry each year. Bovine Babesia species have frequently been detected in non-cattle hosts, such as water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), from which the parasites can be transmitted by ticks to cattle. Therefore, Babesia infections should be minimized not only in cattle but also in non-cattle carriers. In the present study, we surveyed the Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) in Mongolia for three clinically significant bovine Babesia species, including Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, and Babesia sp. Mymensingh, which had been detected previously in Mongolian cattle. We screened blood DNA samples from 305 Bactrian camels in six Mongolian provinces for these species, using parasite-specific PCR assays. Our findings showed that the Bactrian camels in Mongolia were infected with all three Babesia species surveyed. The overall positive rates of B. bovis, B. bigemina, and Babesia sp. Mymensingh were 32.1%, 21.6%, and 24.3%, respectively, whereas 52.5% of the surveyed animals were infected with at least one parasite species. We also found that the female Bactrian camels and the Mongolian native camel breed had significantly higher Babesia positive rates than the male Bactrian camels and the Hos Zogdort breed. In Mongolia, cattle and Bactrian camels usually share common pasture lands for grazing; furthermore, tick species infesting cattle also infest Bactrian camels. Our findings, together with these observations, suggest that the tick transmission of bovine Babesia species might be possible between cattle and Bactrian camels. Therefore, strategies for the control of bovine babesiosis in Mongolia should include methods to minimize bovine Babesia species infections in Bactrian camels.
牛巴贝斯虫病由巴贝斯属的物种引起，是每年给养牛业造成巨大经济损失的主要原因。牛巴贝斯虫物种经常在非牛宿主中被检测到，如水牛（Bubalus bubalis），寄生虫可通过蜱虫从水牛传播到牛身上。因此，不仅应尽量减少牛身上的巴贝斯虫感染，还应减少非牛宿主中的感染。在本研究中，我们对蒙古的双峰驼（Camelus bactrianus）进行了调查，以检测三种具有临床意义的牛巴贝斯虫物种，包括牛巴贝斯虫（Babesia bovis）、双芽巴贝斯虫（B. bigemina）和迈门辛巴贝斯虫（Babesia sp. Mymensingh），这些物种此前已在蒙古牛中被检测到。我们使用寄生虫特异性PCR检测法，对来自蒙古六个省份的305头双峰驼的血液DNA样本进行了这些物种的筛查。我们的研究结果表明，蒙古的双峰驼感染了所有三种被调查的巴贝斯虫物种。牛巴贝斯虫、双芽巴贝斯虫和迈门辛巴贝斯虫的总体阳性率分别为32.1%、21.6%和24.3%，而52.5%的被调查动物感染了至少一种寄生虫物种。我们还发现，雌性双峰驼和蒙古本地骆驼品种的巴贝斯虫阳性率显著高于雄性双峰驼和霍斯佐戈尔特品种。在蒙古，牛和双峰驼通常共享公共牧场放牧；此外，寄生在牛身上的蜱虫物种也会寄生在双峰驼身上。我们的研究结果以及这些观察结果表明，牛巴贝斯虫物种通过蜱虫在牛和双峰驼之间传播是可能的。因此，蒙古控制牛巴贝斯虫病的策略应包括尽量减少双峰驼中牛巴贝斯虫物种感染的方法。
