Sequence conservation in the rRNA first internal transcribed spacer region of Babesia gibsoni genotype Asia isolates

Babesia gibsoni genotype Asia is a small, tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic protozoan that parasitizes dogs. Reports suggest that it is increasingly diagnosed in the United States. The clinical outcome of infection with this piroplasm is often variable, leading us to hypothesize that the different clinical outcomes resulting from B. gibsoni genotype Asia infection are due to genetically distinguishable strains that differ in virulence. As a first step to assess the genetic variability of B. gibsoni isolates originating from the southeastern United States, we sequenced the rRNA first internal transcribed spacer region of recent isolates from Georgia and Alabama, and compared these sequences with isolates originating from Japan and Australia. All isolates examined proved to be genetically identical at the first internal transcribed spacer region, although this region differed distinctly from other Babesia species and closely related apicomplexan species. Although negating our hypothesis, this information gives us insight into the recent evolutionary history and spread of B. gibsoni genotype Asia in dogs in the U.S. Our research suggests that the gradual rise in prevalence of canine babesiosis due to B. gibsoni genotype Asia in the United States may be a result of clonal expansion of a single strain within a susceptible host population.