AUTHOR=He Lan , Liu Qin , Yao Baoan , Zhou Yanqin , Hu Min , Fang Rui , Zhao Junlong 

TITLE=A Historical Overview of Research on Babesia orientalis, a Protozoan Parasite Infecting Water Buffalo

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01323

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.01323

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Babesiosis</italic> is a globally important zoonotic disease caused by tick-borne intraerythrocytic protozoan of the genus <italic>Babesia</italic> (phylum apicomplexa). In China, there are five species that infect cattle buffalo and cause great economic loss, which include <italic>Babesia bigemina</italic>, <italic>B. bovis</italic>, <italic>B. major</italic>, <italic>B. ovata</italic>, and <italic>B. orientalis</italic>. Among them, <italic>B. orientalis</italic> is the most recently identified new <italic>Babesia</italic> species epidemic in China. This review summarized the work done in the past 33 years to give an overview of what learned about this parasite. This parasitic protozoan was found in 1984 in Central and South China and then named as <italic>B. orientalis</italic> in 1997 based on its differences in transmitting host, morphology, pathogenicity and characteristics of <italic>in vitro</italic> cultivation when compared with <italic>B. bigemina</italic> and <italic>B. bovis</italic>. It was found that <italic>Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides</italic> is the transmitting vector and water buffalo is the only reported host. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 18S rRNA gene also confirmed that <italic>B. orientalis</italic> is a new species. After species verification, four diagnostic methods including semi-nest PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay, reverse line blot hybridization assay, and real-time PCR were established for lab and field use purposes. Genomic sequencing was conducted and the complete genomes of mitochondria and apicoplast were annotated. Future work will be focused on developing effective vaccines, identifying drug targets and screening useful drugs for controlling <italic>B. orientalis</italic> in water buffalo.</p>