Determination of the pathogenicity of Babesia aktasi N. SP. in pure Saanen kids and Akkaraman Lambs

In this study, it was aimed to determine the pathogenicity of Babesia aktasi n. sp. in Saanen kids and Akkaraman lambs younger than one year old. For this purpose, fresh blood infected with B. aktasi n. sp. was injected intravenously into immunosuppressed (n = 3) and non-suppressed (n = 4) pure Saanen kids and immunosuppressed (n = 5) Akkaraman lambs. To obtain a source of the infected fresh blood, donor kids of hair goats were first infected. Then, 15 and 30 ml fresh blood with parasitaemia ranging from 9-13.2% taken from the donors was injected intravenously into immunosuppressed and non-suppressed animals, respectively. After inoculation of fresh blood infected with B. aktasi n. sp., severe clinical babesiosis occurred in 3 immunosuppressed kids, and the kids died within 4-5 days post inoculation. Before death, parasitemia was detected in kids at rates ranging from 15% to 33.5%. During the acute disease, babesiosis-specific clinical findings such as high fever, anemia, icterus and hemoglobinuria developed. In addition to the specific findings of acute babesiosis, general symptoms such as stagnation, loss of appetite, external grinding, tremors, moaning, rapid breathing, lying down with the head on the ground and the inability to stand up were also observed. At necropsy, macroscopic lesions related to babesiosis were observed in tissues and organs. As in the immunosupressed group, severe clinical babesiosis developed in spleen intact kids and 2 out of 4 kids died. Parasitemia level was ranging from 2.2% to 7.6% in spleen intact kids. Sings such as high fever, anemia, icterus, hemoglobinuria, lethargy, loss of appetite, external grinding, tremors, moaning, rapid breathing, lying down with the head on the ground and the inability to stand up were observed in all kids. Macroscopic lesions of babesiosis were also detected at necropsy dead spleen intact kids. In immunosuppressed Akkaraman lambs, no specific clinical findings of babesiosis were observed during 1 month following parasite inoculation. In addition, no general findings such as sluggishness and loss of appetite were also observed. During this period, no piroplasm forms of the parasite were found in blood smears. Genomic DNA of B. aktasi n. sp. was detected in 2 lambs for only one day, and in one lamb for 4 days post inoculation, while no positive PCR product was obtained in other 2 lambs.