Serological and Molecular Investigations of Babesia Microti in Dogs from Southern Italy Elisabetta Giudice 1 , Simona Di Pietro 2* , Valeria Blanda 3 , Valentina Rita Francesca Bosco 2 , Rossella Lelli 3 and Alessandra Torina 2,3 1 Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche e Ambientali, University of Messina, Via F. Stagno D'Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy 2 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy 3 Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia “A. Mirri” Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3 - 90129 Palermo, Italy * Corresponding author: Simona Di Pietro, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy, Tel: +390903503509; E-mail: dipietros@unime.it Rec date: Jul 21, 2015; Acc date: Oct 14, 2015; Pub date: Oct 16, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Giudice E, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Piroplasmosis is now considered emerging tick-borne zoonosis worldwide and domestic animals have been proposed as potential reservoirs for some piroplasm infections. The aim of this research was to identify the frequency of Babesia microti infection in untravelled dogs from Southern Italy (Sicily). Blood samples from 89 dogs were examined for the presence of Babesia microti antibodies and DNA. The dogs were infested with ticks. Among the examined dogs only one (1.16%) had B. microti antibodies, associated to B. canis, A. phagocytophilum and R. conorii infections. In the PCR assay, the dog was also found positive for B. microti and R. conorii DNA, and negative for other microorganisms. The infected dog showed a non-specific flu-like syndrome, with depression, disorexia, hyperthermia (39.6°C), light dehydration, moderate lymphadenopathy and heavy tick infestation (>20). No significant changes were present in the cell blood count. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of serological and molecular identification of B. microti piroplasm in a dog from Southern Italy. Because specific antibodies and DNA were detected in an untraveled dog, babesiosis is probably due to an autochthonous tick infection. However, this study indicates that Babesia microti is not widely distributed in dog populations in Sicily, as demonstrated by low prevalence of infection. So, in Sicily the dog would not appear to represent a reservoir of infection, but rather an accidental host. Keywords: Babesia microti; Dog; PCR; Southern Italy Abbreviations: CBC: cell blood count; C.R.A.Ba.R.T: National Reference Centre for Anaplasma, Babesia, Rickettsia and Teileria; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IFAT: immunofuorescent antibody test; IZS: Istituto Zooproflattico Sperimentale; K3 EDTA: tri-potassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; RBC: red blood cell; TBD: tick borne disease Introduction Babesiosis, otherwise known as piroplasmosis, is a blood-borne infection of particular concern due to the severity of the clinical signs, which infect a variety of domestic and wild animals, and humans [1,2]. Canine babesiosis is a tick borne disease caused by an obligate intraerythrocytic parasite, genus Babesia (Apicomplexa: Piroplasmida) [3]. Afer host invasion Babesia spp. sporozoites parasitize RBCs, evolve into ring-shaped trophozoites and then replicate forming merozoites that move freely in the host cell cytoplasm [4]. Merozoites may further divide forming 4-8 or more parasites in the same RBC and eventually destroying the cell and become free in the blood to invade new cells [2]. In most European countries, B. canis is recognized as the principal etiological agent in canine piroplasmosis, but molecular and phylogenetic analyses suggest the presence of other species of piroplasms [3]. Traditionally, it was assumed that the only Babesia species causing disease in dogs were Babesia canis and Babesia gibsoni [5], but recently published reports demonstrate that diferent piroplasm species can parasitize dogs [2,6-9]. B. rossi, B. canis and B. vogeli, previously considered as subspecies of B. canis, are identical morphologically but demonstrate tremendous variations in geographic distribution, vector specificity, genetic characteristics, and clinical signs which they induce in dogs. Tese parasites are currently considered as separate species [2]. In Italy, B. canis is mainly described in the North and less frequently in Central regions, while B. vogeli is predominantly found in Central and Southern Italy [10]. Te development of molecular methods has demonstrated that more piroplasmid species infect dogs. Tese include the small piroplasms Babesia conradae [7,11], Babesia microti-like piroplasm [9], which is also referred to as Teileira annae [6,9] or “Spanish dog isolate” [8], and Teileria spp. [2,12]. Babesia microti is the most common cause of human babesios. It is endemic in North America and has recently emerged in Europe and East Asia. Infection usually causes asymptomatic to mild fu-like clinical manifestations including fever, sweat, chills and anemia. However, severe and sometimes fatal outcomes generally occur in immunocompromised or elderly individuals [13,14]. A new pathogenic B. microti-like species from dogs was frst described in a German dog infected during a trip to Northwestern region of Spain [9,15]. Giudice, et al., J Veterinar Sci Technol 2015, 6:6 DOI: 10.4172/2157-7579.1000261 Research Article Open Access J Veterinar Sci Technol ISSN:2157-7579 JVST, an open access journal Volume 6 • Issue 6 • 1000261 J o u r n a l o f V e t e r i n a r y S c i e n c e & T e c h n o l o g y ISSN: 2157-7579 o J r u n l a o f V e t e r i n a r y S c i e n c e & T e c h n l o g o y ISSN: 2157-7579 Journal of V Journal of Veterinary Science & eterinary Science & Technology echnology