Genetic variation among Indian isolates of Babesia bigemina

摘要

Babesiosis caused by Babesia bigemina is an important tick-borne disease of economic importance in cattle, transmitted exclusively by the Boophilus microplus. Four B. bigemina isolates two each from Izatnagar (North India) and Wayanad (South India) were derived and subjected to genetic analysis by random amphfied polymorphic DNA-Polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). Genomic DNA fingerprints were generated from isolates by PGR using 20 random oligonucleotide primers (10-12) and similarity coefficientand RAP distance between the isolates was calculated. The Izatnagar isolates showed the highest similarity (64%) while the Wayanad isolates showed 50% homogeneity and these two isolates in comparison revealed least similarity (41%). The RAP distance calculated also supported this view suggesting genomic diversity among the isolates under the existing enzootic stability conditions in the country.