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First record of Babesia sp. in Antarctic penguins.
- Source :
-
Ticks and tick-borne diseases [Ticks Tick Borne Dis] 2016 Apr; Vol. 7 (3), pp. 498-501. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Feb 10. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- This is the first reported case of Babesia sp. in Antarctic penguins, specifically a population of Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) in the Vapour Col penguin rookery in Deception Island, South Shetlands, Antarctica. We collected peripheral blood from 50 adult and 30 chick Chinstrap penguins. Examination of the samples by microscopy showed intraerythrocytic forms morphologically similar to other avian Babesia species in 12 Chinstrap penguin adults and seven chicks. The estimated parasitaemias ranged from 0.25×10(-2)% to 0.75×10(-2)%. Despite the low number of parasites found in blood smears, semi-nested PCR assays yielded a 274 bp fragment in 12 of the 19 positive blood samples found by microscopy. Sequencing revealed that the fragment was 97% similar to Babesia sp. 18S rRNA from Australian Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) confirming presence of the parasite. Parasite prevalence estimated by microscopy in adults and chicks was higher (24% vs. 23.3%, respectively) than found by semi-nested PCR (16% vs. 13.3% respectively). Although sampled penguins were apparently healthy, the effect of Babesia infection in these penguins is unknown. The identification of Babesia sp. in Antarctic penguins is an important finding. Ixodes uriae, as the only tick species present in the Antarctic Peninsula, is the key to understanding the natural history of this parasite. Future work should address the transmission dynamics and pathogenicity of Babesia sp. in Chinstrap penguin as well as in other penguin species, such as Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) and Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), present within the tick distribution range in the Antarctic Peninsula.<br /> (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Antarctic Regions epidemiology
Babesia classification
Babesia isolation & purification
Babesiosis parasitology
Bird Diseases parasitology
Erythrocytes parasitology
Islands
Ixodes parasitology
Microscopy
Parasitemia
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S genetics
Babesia genetics
Babesiosis epidemiology
Bird Diseases epidemiology
Phylogeny
Spheniscidae parasitology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1877-9603
- Volume :
- 7
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Ticks and tick-borne diseases
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 26874670
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.02.006