Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41528575›Full record

ArticleMolecular biology reports2026

Comparative diagnostic performance of microscopy and PCR assays with preliminary mitochondrial sequence analysis of Babesia species infecting dogs in Jabalpur, central India.

Vikram Punia, Giridhari Das, Suman Kumar, Rupesh Verma, Subhradal Nath, Raunak Choudhary, Reetika Chourasia, Anju Nayak, Ajit Pratap Singh

Abstract readComparative Study
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Article in Molecular biology reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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9 authors.

Vikram PuniaDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Giridhari DasDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Suman KumarDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Rupesh VermaDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India. vrupesh77@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1151-6777
Subhradal NathDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Raunak ChoudharyDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Reetika ChourasiaDepartment of Veterinary ParasitologyCollege of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Anju NayakDepartment of Veterinary Microbiology College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482001, MP, India.
Ajit Pratap SinghAnimal Biotechnology Centre, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, 482004, MP, India.

Funding

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6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe present study evaluated the diagnostic performance of conventional microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assays for the detection of Babesia infections in dogs, including semi-nested PCR (SN-PCR) targeting the 18 S rRNA gene and single-round PCR (SR-PCR) assays targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) genes for B. gibsoni and B. vogeli, respectively. Mitochondrial sequence variation was further assessed by integrating newly generated sequences from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (central India), with global reference datasets. METHODS AND

resultsA total of 100 blood samples from dogs suspected of having haemoprotozoan infections were analysed between June 2022 and May 2023. Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained smears detected Babesia parasites in 13% of the samples, whereas the 18 S rRNA SN-PCR assay identified infections in 29%, comprising B. gibsoni (25%) and B. vogeli (4%). Representative sequences showed 98-99% identity with corresponding GenBank reference sequences. Representative sequences showed 98-99% identity with corresponding GenBank reference sequences. Compared with SN-PCR, microscopy demonstrated moderate sensitivity but perfect specificity, resulting in an overall diagnostic accuracy of 84.0% (p < 0.01). Mitochondrial SR-PCR assays detected B. gibsoni and B. vogeli in 5% and 4% of the samples, respectively. The cytb-based assay showed higher sensitivity and a significant diagnostic association (p < 0.01) than the cox1 assay, whereas the cox1 assay demonstrated lower sensitivity with a non-significant association (p > 0.05). All PCR assays showed 100% specificity and positive predictive value. Bayesian phylogenetic and haplotype analyses indicated that B. gibsoni cytb sequences formed a monophyletic lineage with limited regional structuring, with Indian isolates clustering within a distinct sub-lineage. In contrast, B. vogeli cox1 sequences exhibited low global diversity with a dominant shared haplotype across geographic regions.

conclusionsThe 18S rRNA SN-PCR assay showed the highest sensitive method for detecting Babesia infections in dogs. Mitochondrial markers (cytb and cox1) supported species confirmation and comparative phylogenetic assessment, highlighting the complementary value of nuclear and mitochondrial gene targets for molecular surveillance and control of canine babesiosis in India.

Indexed as

BabesiaBabesiosisDog DiseasesMicroscopyPolymerase Chain ReactionAnimalsDNA, MitochondrialDogsElectron Transport Complex IVIndiaMitochondriaPhylogenySensitivity and SpecificitySequence Analysis, DNADNA, MitochondrialElectron Transport Complex IVBabesia gibsoniBabesia vogeliCanine babesiosisCox1CytbIndiaMitochondrial genesMolecular epidemiologySemi-nested PCR

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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.