Besnoitia besnoiti
Besnoitia besnoiti is an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum,[1]. It is part of a larger genus Besnoiti affecting multiple animal species, but Besnoita besnoiti, can affect livestock.[2] and more specifically cattle as intermediate host,[1] although some specific antibodies have been found in roe deer and red deer.[3]
| Besnoitia besnoiti | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Chromista |
| Superphylum: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Apicomplexa |
| Class: | Conoidasida |
| Order: | Eucoccidiorida |
| Family: | Sarcocystidae |
| Genus: | Besnoitia |
| Species: | B. besnoiti |
| Binomial name | |
| Besnoitia besnoiti (Franco and Borges, 1916) | |
The biological cycle of the parasite remains unknown, it is suggested however that a carnivore, or more specifically the red fox, might be the definitive host.[3]
Geographical area
The origin of the disease seems to be difficult to specify, as there has been little attention to it until the end of the 20th century. It seems to be endemic from south of Europe,[4] or maybe sub-Saharan countries.[5] The disease has spread rapidly in the beginning of the 21st century, expanding its range to multiple continents. In Europe, it did spread from the south to cases being detected in multiple more northern countries like Germany or Belgium.[1]
Pathology: bovine besnoitiosis
Besnoitia besnoiti, is responsible for 2 sequential phases of disease: an acute phase, followed by a chronical phase. The acute phase can be lethal or lead to infertility or sterility of males.[3] The symptoms range from fever, anorexia, depression, followed by vascular disorder. The chronical phase, can cause a wide range of skin lesions. Unfortunately, no vaccines or therapeutic tools exist yet to halt its progress.[5]
Genetics
This species has roughly 8,500 genes spread out over 13 chromosomes.[6]
References
- Delooz, Laurent; Evrard, Julien; Mpouam, Serge Eugene; Saegerman, Claude (2021-11-23). "Emergence of Besnoitia besnoiti in Belgium". Pathogens. 10 (12): 1529. doi:10.3390/pathogens10121529. ISSN 2076-0817. PMC 8706464. PMID 34959484.
- Olias, P.; Schade, B.; Mehlhorn, H. (2011). "Molecular pathology, taxonomy and epidemiology of Besnoitia species (Protozoa: Sarcocystidae)". Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 11 (7): 1564–76. doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2011.08.006. PMID 21906696.
- González‐Barrio, David; Köster, Pamela C.; Habela, Miguel A.; Martín‐Pérez, Manuel; Fernández‐García, Jose L.; Balseiro, Ana; Barral, Marta; Nájera, Fernando; Figueiredo, Ana M.; Palacios, Maria Jesus; Mateo, Marta (November 2021). "Molecular survey of Besnoitia spp. (Apicomplexa) in faeces from European wild mesocarnivores in Spain". Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. 68 (6): 3156–3166. doi:10.1111/tbed.14206. ISSN 1865-1674. PMID 34174029. S2CID 235648406.
- Jacquiet, P.; Liénard, E.; Franc, M. (November 2010). "Bovine besnoitiosis: Epidemiological and clinical aspects". Veterinary Parasitology. 174 (1–2): 30–36. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.08.013. PMID 20850933.
- González-Barrio, David; Diezma-Díaz, Carlos; Gutiérrez-Expósito, Daniel; Tabanera, Enrique; Jiménez-Meléndez, Alejandro; Pizarro, Manuel; González-Huecas, Marta; Ferre, Ignacio; Ortega-Mora, Luis M.; Álvarez-García, Gema (December 2021). "Identification of molecular biomarkers associated with disease progression in the testis of bulls infected with Besnoitia besnoiti". Veterinary Research. 52 (1): 106. doi:10.1186/s13567-021-00974-2. ISSN 1297-9716. PMC 8296687. PMID 34294155.
- "Besnoitia besnoiti (ID 62526) - Genome - NCBI". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
Further reading
Alvarez-Garcia, G; Garcia-Lunar, P; Gutierrez-Exposito, D; Shkap, V; Ortega-Mora, LM (September 2014). "Dynamics of Besnoitia besnoiti infection in cattle". Parasitology. 141 (11): 1419–1435. doi:10.1017/S0031182014000729. PMID 24871877. S2CID 31752339.