ArticleParasites & vectors2015
Reclassification of Theileria annae as Babesia vulpes sp. nov.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers.
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Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 147 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cross-species therapeutics in Plasmodium and Babesia: erythrocyte invasion and conserved drug targets.Tropical animal health and production · 2026Review
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- CRISPR-Cas12a-based rapid detection of Babesia gibsoni and Ehrlichia canis in dogs using fluorometer platform.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Molecular analysis of vector-borne pathogens in red foxes (International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2025Article
- Genome assembly and annotation of Babesia rossi, a protozoan parasite for canine babesiosis.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Prevalence and genetic diversity of Babesia microti in rodents from central and southern Shanxi, China.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Vector-borne pathogens in dogs from the Republic of Kosovo.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Case report: First autochthonousFrontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
- A Retrospective Epidemiological Analysis of Microscopically Detected Babesiosis in Dogs of Southern Poland (2018-2022).Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Large-scale molecular survey for piroplasmids in Iberian wild carnivores.Parasitology research · 2024Article
- Population genetics of Babesia vogeli based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Description and molecular characterisation of Babesia ailuropodae n. sp., a new piroplasmid species infecting giant pandas.Parasites & vectors · 2024Article
- Diversity of Babesia spp. in skunks from selected states in the United States of America.Parasite (Paris, France) · 2024Article
- Prevalence and molecular detection of Babesia microti in rodents in Southeastern Shanxi, China.PloS one · 2024Article
- Molecular Detection and Genotyping ofMicroorganisms · 2023Article
- First Molecular Evidence ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Canine piroplasmids: Molecular detection and laboratory characterization in dogs from Brasilia, Brazil, with the first molecular evidence of dog exposure to a novel opossum-associated Babesia sp.Ticks and tick-borne diseases · 2023Article
- Wild Mesocarnivores as Reservoirs of Endoparasites Causing Important Zoonoses and Emerging Bridging Infections across Europe.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Discovery of a Novel Species Infecting Goats: Morphological and Molecular Characterization ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- First molecular detection ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2023Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTheileria annae is a tick-transmitted small piroplasmid that infects dogs and foxes in North America and Europe. Due to disagreement on its placement in the Theileria or Babesia genera, several synonyms have been used for this parasite, including Babesia Spanish dog isolate, Babesia microti-like, Babesia (Theileria) annae, and Babesia cf. microti. Infections by this parasite cause anemia, thrombocytopenia, and azotemia in dogs but are mostly subclinical in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Furthermore, high infection rates have been detected among red fox populations in distant regions strongly suggesting that these canines act as the parasite's natural host. This study aims to reassess and harmonize the phylogenetic placement and binomen of T. annae within the order Piroplasmida.
methodsFour molecular phylogenetic trees were constructed using a maximum likelihood algorithm based on DNA alignments of: (i) near-complete 18S rRNA gene sequences (n = 76 and n = 93), (ii) near-complete and incomplete 18S rRNA gene sequences (n = 92), and (iii) tubulin-beta gene sequences (n = 32) from B. microti and B. microti-related parasites including those detected in dogs and foxes.
resultsAll phylogenetic trees demonstrate that T. annae and its synonyms are not Theileria parasites but are most closely related with B. microti. The phylogenetic tree based on the 18S rRNA gene forms two separate branches with high bootstrap value, of which one branch corresponds to Babesia species infecting rodents, humans, and macaques, while the other corresponds to species exclusively infecting carnivores. Within the carnivore group, T. annae and its synonyms from distant regions segregate into a single clade with a highly significant bootstrap value corroborating their separate species identity.
conclusionPhylogenetic analysis clearly shows that T. annae and its synonyms do not pertain to Theileria and can be clearly defined as a separate species. Based on the facts that T. annae and its synonyms have not been shown to have a leukocyte stage, as expected in Theileria, do not infect humans and rodents as B. microti, and cluster phylogenetically as a separate species, this study proposes to name this parasite Babesia vulpes sp. nov., after its natural host, the red fox V. vulpes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.