Molecular characterization of <em>Babesia gibsoni</em> present in dogs in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Certain Babesia species that were known as a single species are now re-classified into subspecies or different species. To identify any strain variation in B. gibsoni species which infect dogs in Sri Lanka, sequences of the three genes; 18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), and B. gibsoni thrombospondin related adhesive protein (BgTRAP) were analyzed in dogs with babesiosis from three geographical locations. Analysis of the sequences of the 18s rRNA gene confirmed that the samples contained B. gibsoni Asian genotype. Analysis of the BgTRAP gene revealed that the B. gibsoni present in Sri Lanka is genetically different from the species present in East Asian countries.

Keywords

• babesia gibsoni, 18s rrna, its1, bgtrap, variant, sri lanka