Open AccessANTIGENIC, PHENOTYPIC AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION CONFIRMS BABESIA ODOCOILEI ISOLATED FROM THREE CERVIDS
Author(s) -
Patricia J. Holman,
Jena Madeley,
Thomas M. Craig,
B. A. Allsopp,
M. T. E. P. Allsopp,
Kristine R. Petrini,
Suryakant D. Waghela,
G. G. Wagner
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of wildlife diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.613
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1943-3700
pISSN - 0090-3558
DOI - 10.7589/0090-3558-36.3.518
Subject(s) - biology , phylogenetic tree , ribosomal rna , clade , babesia , virology , serology , gene , genetics , antibody
Babesia isolates from an elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) and a caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) with fatal infections were compared to Babesia odocoilei (Engeling isolate) from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) by experimental infection, serologic, and small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequence analysis studies. Both the indirect fluorescent antibody test and immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated antigenic variation among the isolates. Experimental infection studies showed no clinical differences among the isolates. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the elk and caribou Babesia sp. isolates possessed SSU rRNA genes with identical sequences to that of B. odocoilei. A phylogenetic tree constructed from SSU rRNA gene sequences shows that B. odocoilei is most closely related to Babesia divergens, both of which branch together in the true babesia clade.