Diversity of Babesia spp. in skunks from selected states in the United States of America.

Kayla B Garrett, Justin Brown, Mourad Gabriel, Robert Dowler, J Clint Perkins, Dianna Krejsa, Michael J Yabsley

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Parasite (Paris, France), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Survey forInternational journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2024
Article

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Kayla B GarrettSoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Dr., Athens, GA 30602, USA - Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E. Green St., Athens, GA 30602, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7893-6157

Justin BrownDepartment of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Penn State University, 108 AVBS Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

Mourad GabrielKaren C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA 95616, USA - Integral Ecology Research Center, 239 Railroad Ave, Blue Lake, CA 95525, USA.

Robert DowlerDepartment of Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX 76909, USA.

J Clint PerkinsDepartment of Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX 76909, USA.

Dianna KrejsaDepartment of Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX 76909, USA - Department of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, 2903 15th Street, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.

Michael J YabsleySoutheastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 589 D. W. Brooks Dr., Athens, GA 30602, USA - Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E. Green St., Athens, GA 30602, USA - Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Babesia species are intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites that infect a variety of hosts. The goal of this study was to evaluate the piroplasm species present in skunks in various states in the United States and determine whether there was any geographic variation. Spleen, whole blood, or blood on filter paper were received from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, and California, and were tested for Babesia sp. We tested four species of skunks including striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis, n = 72), eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius, n = 28), western spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis, n = 15), and hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus leuconotus, n = 11). A PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA region and cox1 region were used to determine if skunks were infected with piroplasms and for phylogenetic analyses. A total of 48.4% (61/126) of skunks tested positive for a Babesia species. Both the 18S and cox1 analysis supported a skunk-specific Babesia microti-like sp. of carnivores as well as a species in the B. microti complex that is phylogenetically unique from both B. microti of humans and the B. microti-like sp. of carnivores. In the 18S analysis, there was a third species of Babesia in hog-nosed skunks in the western piroplasm group. This study shows that at least three species of piroplasms occur in skunk species in the United States and further highlights the importance of phylogenetic analyses and the use of multiple gene targets when studying piroplasms.

Indexed as

BabesiaBabesiosisMephitidaePhylogenyRNA, Ribosomal, 18SAnimalsDNA, ProtozoanGenetic VariationPolymerase Chain ReactionUnited StatesDNA, ProtozoanRNA, Ribosomal, 18SBabesia microti-like speciesHog-nosed skunkPiroplasmsSpotted skunkStriped skunkTick-borne pathogens

Identifiers

PMID39052012

DOI10.1051/parasite/2024043

PMCPMC11271706

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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.