Sporogony and experimental transmission of Babesia equi by Boophilus microplus.
Abstract: The development of Babesia equi in salivary glands of adult female Boophilus microplus was observed under a light microscope using semithin sections stained with toluidine blue. Engorged nymphs were obtained from splenectomized foals experimentally infected with B. equi. As adults, they were then fed on rabbits for 5 days and the salivary glands of manually collected individuals were removed at intervals of 24 h. Sporozoites were found in type III granular acini cells between the 2nd and 5th days following feeding on the rabbits. Sporoblasts and sporozoites were observed in the same or adjacent acini cells in all the glands examined. The formation of the sporozoites occurred following the multiple division of the sporoblasts through a process of radial budding from the periphery of bodies resulting from multiple fission. Sporozoites were detected in smears of adult males stained with Giemsa, between the 2nd and 5th days following feeding by the ticks. Adults of B. microplus, fed during the nymphal phase on foals with patent parasitemia, transmitted sporozoites of B. equi to a splenectomized foal. The role of B. microplus in the transmission and epidemiology of B. equi is discussed.
Publication Date: 1998-05-15 PubMed ID: 9580425DOI: 10.1007/s004360050404Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research study examines the development of Babesia equi, a harmful parasite, in the salivary glands of the tick species Boophilus microplus and details how this parasite is subsequently transmitted to horses.
Methodology and Observations
- The researchers utilized a light microscope to observe the growth of Babesia equi within the salivary glands of adult female Boophilus microplus ticks. These ticks were fed on rabbits for five days after they reached adulthood.
- Before reaching adulthood, these ticks were raised as engorged nymphs on foals that had been experimentally infected with B. equi.
- Scientists manually collected ticks at 24-hour intervals and extracted their salivary glands for microscopic observation. This allowed them to monitor the lifecycle and development of the B. equi parasite.
- Notably, sporozoites (a stage in the parasite’s life cycle) were found within type III granular acini cells in the tick’s salivary glands between the second and fifth days after the ticks had begun feeding on the rabbits.
- At the same or adjacent cells, researchers also identified sporoblasts and sporozoites, signifying stages in the parasitic development.
Sporozoites Formation and Detection
- The researchers discovered that the formation of sporozoites occurred through a process of radial budding from bodies that resulted from multiple fission. This process was witnessed after the multiple division of sporoblasts.
- From the second to the fifth day following feeding, they detected sporozoites in smears of adult male ticks, which were stained with Giemsa, a stain that colors the nuclei of cells.
Transmission of Babesia equi
- It was observed that adults of the B. microplus species, which had been fed on foals with visible parasitemia during their nymphal phase, were able to transmit B. equi sporozoites to a splenectomized (spleen-removed) foal.
- This confirmed the role of B. microplus ticks as vectors in the transmission and epidemiology of B. equi, offering crucial insights regarding the spread of this parasite.
Cite This Article
APA
Guimarães AM, Lima JD, Ribeiro MF.
(1998).
Sporogony and experimental transmission of Babesia equi by Boophilus microplus.
Parasitol Res, 84(4), 323-327.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s004360050404 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Parasitologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Arachnid Vectors / parasitology
- Babesia / growth & development
- Babesiosis / parasitology
- Babesiosis / transmission
- Female
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / transmission
- Horses
- Life Cycle Stages
- Male
- Parasitemia / parasitology
- Parasitemia / veterinary
- Rabbits
- Salivary Glands / parasitology
- Tick Infestations / parasitology
- Ticks / parasitology
- Tolonium Chloride
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Paulino PG, Peckle M, Mendonça LP, Massard CL, Antunes S, Couto J, Domingos A, Guedes Junior DDS, Cabezas-Cruz A, Santos HA. Differential Expression of Immune Genes in the Rhipicephalus microplus Gut in Response to Theileria equi Infection. Pathogens 2022 Dec 6;11(12).
- Peckle M, Santos H, Pires M, Silva C, Costa R, Vitari G, Camilo T, Meireles N, Paulino P, Massard C. Dynamics of Theileria equi Infection in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus during the Parasitic Phase in a Chronically Infected Horse. Pathogens 2022 Apr 29;11(5).
- Paulino P, Vitari G, Rezende A, Couto J, Antunes S, Domingos A, Peckle M, Massard C, Araújo F, Santos H. Characterization of the Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus Sialotranscriptome Profile in Response to Theileria equi Infection. Pathogens 2021 Feb 4;10(2).
- Jalovecka M, Hajdusek O, Sojka D, Kopacek P, Malandrin L. The Complexity of Piroplasms Life Cycles. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018;8:248.
- Peckle M, Pires MS, Dos Santos TM, Roier EC, da Silva CB, Vilela JA, Santos HA, Massard CL. Molecular epidemiology of Theileria equi in horses and their association with possible tick vectors in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Parasitol Res 2013 May;112(5):2017-25.
- Angelo IC, Gôlo PS, Perinotto WM, Camargo MG, Quinelato S, Sá FA, Pontes EG, Bittencourt VR. Neutral lipid composition changes in the fat bodies of engorged females Rhipicephalus microplus ticks in response to fungal infections. Parasitol Res 2013 Feb;112(2):501-9.
- Heim A, Passos LM, Ribeiro MF, Costa-Júnior LM, Bastos CV, Cabral DD, Hirzmann J, Pfister K. Detection and molecular characterization of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi isolates from endemic areas of Brazil. Parasitol Res 2007 Dec;102(1):63-8.
- Ueti MW, Palmer GH, Kappmeyer LS, Statdfield M, Scoles GA, Knowles DP. Ability of the vector tick Boophilus microplus to acquire and transmit Babesia equi following feeding on chronically infected horses with low-level parasitemia. J Clin Microbiol 2005 Aug;43(8):3755-9.
- Ueti MW, Palmer GH, Kappmeyer LS, Scoles GA, Knowles DP. Expression of equi merozoite antigen 2 during development of Babesia equi in the midgut and salivary gland of the vector tick Boophilus microplus. J Clin Microbiol 2003 Dec;41(12):5803-9.
- Ribeiro MF, Costa JO, Guimarães AM. Epidemiological aspects of Babesia equi in horses in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Vet Res Commun 1999 Oct;23(6):385-90.
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