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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #178837
Title: CULTIVATION AND REDESCRIPTION OF BESNOITIA BENNETTI FROM THE DONKEY (EQUUS AXINUS)

Author
item Dubey, Jitender
item SREEKUMAR, C - ICD/FAS
item DONOVAN, T - USDA ARS BELTSVILLE MD
item ROZMANEE, M - USDA ARS BELTSVILLE MD
item Rosenthal, Benjamin
item VIANNA, M C - ICD/FAS
item DAVIS, W - USDA ARS BELTSVILLE MD
item BELDEN, J - USDA ARS BELTSVILLE MD

Submitted to: American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2005
Publication Date: 7/16/2005
Citation: Dubey, J.P., Sreekumar, C., Donovan, T., Rozmanee, M., Rosenthal, B.M., Vianna, M.B., Davis, W.P., Belden, J.S. 2005. Cultivation and redescription of besnoitia bennetti from the donkey (equus axinus). American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. p.1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Species of the coccidian genus Besnoitia parasitise cattle, goats, equids, reindeer, caribou, opossums, rabbits, rodents, and lizards. Besnoitia bennetti parasitizes equids, including horses and donkeys. Besnoitia bennetti tissue cysts were found in four naturally-infected donkeys (Equus asinus) from Florida and Maine. Infectivity of its bradyzoites, and tachyzoites to animals and cell culture was studied. The bradyzoites were not infectious to out-bred Swiss Webster mice, rabbits or gerbils. When fed tissue cysts, cats did not excrete oocysts. However, the parasite was infectious to interferon-gamma gene knock out mice. The parasite from tissues of two donkeys was grown successfully in bovine monocyte monolayers for the first time. Non-dividing, uninucleate tachyzoites were approximately 6 x 1.5 µm in size. Longitudinally-cut bradyzoites in tissue sections measured 8.7 x 1.9 µm. Ultrastructurally, tachyzoites and bradyzoites were similar to those in other Besnoitia species, and in particular to parasites described from cattle (Besnoitia besnoiti) and reindeer (Besnoitia tarandi), in that their bradyzoites lacked enigmatic bodies. Based on comparative analysis of three portions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (the small and large subunits and the first internal transcribed spacer) B. bennetti was found to be more closely related to the other congeners described from ungulates.