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. 2013 Nov;75(11):1463-70.
doi: 10.1292/jvms.13-0251. Epub 2013 Jul 12.

The genetic diversity of merozoite surface antigen 1 (MSA-1) among Babesia bovis detected from cattle populations in Thailand, Brazil and Ghana

Daisuke Nagano  1 , Thillaiampalam Sivakumar, Alane Caine Costa De De Macedo, Tawin Inpankaew, Andy Alhassan, Ikuo Igarashi, Naoaki Yokoyama
Affiliations

The genetic diversity of merozoite surface antigen 1 (MSA-1) among Babesia bovis detected from cattle populations in Thailand, Brazil and Ghana

Daisuke Nagano et al. J Vet Med Sci. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

In the present study, we screened blood DNA samples obtained from cattle bred in Brazil (n=164) and Ghana (n=80) for Babesia bovis using a diagnostic PCR assay and found prevalences of 14.6% and 46.3%, respectively. Subsequently, the genetic diversity of B. bovis in Thailand, Brazil and Ghana was analyzed, based on the DNA sequence of merozoite surface antigen-1 (MSA-1). In Thailand, MSA-1 sequences were relatively conserved and found in a single clade of the phylogram, while Brazilian MSA-1 sequences showed high genetic diversity and were dispersed across three different clades. In contrast, the sequences from Ghanaian samples were detected in two different clades, one of which contained only a single Ghanaian sequence. The identities among the MSA-1 sequences from Thailand, Brazil and Ghana were 99.0-100%, 57.5-99.4% and 60.3-100%, respectively, while the similarities among the deduced MSA-1 amino acid sequences within the respective countries were 98.4-100%, 59.4-99.7% and 58.7-100%, respectively. These observations suggested that the genetic diversity of B. bovis based on MSA-1 sequences was higher in Brazil and Ghana than in Thailand. The current data highlight the importance of conducting extensive studies on the genetic diversity of B. bovis before designing immune control strategies in each surveyed country.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Phylogenetic analysis of MSA-1 gene sequences. The MSA-1 gene sequences determined in the present study (n=25) and the gene sequences that were already available in GenBank (n=38) were used to construct the phylogram. Two MSA-2c gene sequences were used as an out group. The gene sequences determined in the present study are shown by bold. Bootstrap values are provided at the beginning of each branch. Note that the MSA-1 sequences determined from B. bovis detected in Brazil and Ghana are located in more than one clade.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Similarity analysis of MSA-1 deduced amino acid sequences. The deduced amino acid sequences of MSA-1 obtained from Thailand, Brazil and Ghana were compared with the sequences from other countries to calculate the percent similarities. Maximum similarities observed with the sequences from other countries are shown in bold.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Multiple alignment of MSA-1 sequences. The deduced MSA-1 amino acid sequences from Thailand, Brazil and Ghana were subjected to multiple alignment. Note that the Thai-MSA-1 sequences were highly conserved, while those of Brazilian and Ghanaian were relatively polymorphic.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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