Molecular detection and identification of Babesia bovis and Trypanosoma spp. in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) breeds in Egypt

Abstract

Background and Aim: Camels are a unique source of milk and meat, which helps recover from several diseases that affect humans worldwide. In Egypt, one of the great obstacles for this industry is tick-borne diseases. This study aimed to characterize blood parasite infections, such as Babesia (B.) bovis and Trypanosoma (T.) spp. in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) (n=142) breeds in Halayeb and Shalateen, Egypt, through phylogenetic analysis. Materials and Methods: The prevalence of B. bovis and Trypanosoma spp. was identified in camels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the Rhoptry-Associated Protein-1 and internal transcribed spacer 1 genes, respectively. A nested PCR technique was conducted to detect B. bovis. At the same time, KIN multispecies PCR assay was employed to diagnose and classify trypanosome DNA in camels. Results: B. bovis was detected in 4/142 camels with an infection rate of 2.81%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the strain of B. bovis isolated from this population was closely related to strains isolated from Argentine, the United States, and Brazil. Moreover, Trypanosoma evansi was detected in 8/142 camels with an infection rate of 5.63%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that this isolated strain T. evansi was closely related to Trypanosoma theileri detected from cattle in Brazil. Conclusion: The obtained data indicated the existence of B. bovis and T. evansi in camels from two provinces of Egypt. The obtained findings have economic significance and reflect the importance of implementing effective prevention and control methods across Egypt to reduce the incidence of B. bovis and T. evansi in camels.