Zanet et al. Parasites & Vectors 2014, 7:70 http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/70 RESEARCH Open Access Piroplasmosis in wildlife: Babesia and Theileria affecting free-ranging ungulates and carnivores in the Italian Alps Stefania Zanet1, Anna Trisciuoglio1, Elisa Bottero1, Isabel Garcia Fernández de Mera2, Christian Gortazar2, Maria Grazia Carpignano3 and Ezio Ferroglio1* Abstract Background: Piroplasmosis are among the most relevant diseases of domestic animals. Babesia is emerging as cause of tick-borne zoonosis worldwide and free-living animals are reservoir hosts of several zoonotic Babesia species. We investigated the epidemiology of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. in wild ungulates and carnivores from Northern Italy to determine which of these apicomplexan species circulate in wildlife and their prevalence of infection. Methods: PCR amplification of the V4 hyper-variable region of the 18S rDNA of Babesia sp./Theileria sp was carried out on spleen samples of 1036 wild animals: Roe deer Capreolus capreolus (n = 462), Red deer Cervus elaphus (n = 52), Alpine Chamois Rupicapra rupicapra (n = 36), Fallow deer Dama dama (n = 17), Wild boar Sus scrofa (n = 257), Red fox Vulpes vulpes (n = 205) and Wolf Canis lupus (n = 7). Selected positive samples were sequenced to determine the species of amplified Babesia/Theileria DNA. Results: Babesia/Theileria DNA was found with a mean prevalence of 9.94% (IC95% 8.27-11.91). The only piroplasms found in carnivores was Theileria annae, which was detected in two foxes (0.98%; IC95% 0.27-3.49). Red deer showed the highest prevalence of infection (44.23%; IC95% 31.6-57.66), followed by Alpine chamois (22.22%; IC95% 11.71-38.08), Roe deer (12.55%; IC95% 9.84-15.89), and Wild boar (4.67%; IC95% 2.69-7.98). Genetic analysis identified Babesia capreoli as the most prevalent piroplasmid found in Alpine chamois, Roe deer and Red deer, followed by Babesia bigemina (found in Roe deer, Red deer and Wild boar), and the zoonotic Babesia venatorum (formerly Babesia sp. EU1) isolated from 2 Roe deer. Piroplasmids of the genus Theileria were identified in Wild boar and Red deer. Conclusions: The present study offers novel insights into the role of wildlife in Babesia/Theileria epidemiology, as well as relevant information on genetic variability of piroplasmids infecting wild ungulates and carnivores. Keywords: Piroplasmosis, Babesia, Theileria, PCR, Wildlife, Italy Background Theileria spp. are considered to be benign or less patho- Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. are protozoan parasites genic probably because of a long evolutionary relationship transmitted mainly by ticks and able to infect erythrocytes between the parasite and the host. Nevertheless, clinical and/or leukocytes of a wide variety of domestic and wild disease may occur in stressful situations related to trans- animals [1] and Babesia is the second most common para- location of wildlife or/and when the host is debilitated by site found in the blood of mammals after trypanosomes [2]. other parasitic organisms or malnutrition [5-7]. Although Some species of the genus Theileria such as T. annulata piroplasmosis is among the most relevant diseases of do- and T. parva are highly pathogenic to cattle and cause sig- mestic animals [8,9], many unknowns remain concerning nificant mortality among susceptible animals [3,4]. Other their epidemiology and life cycle in the Ixodid tick vector as well as in the vertebrate host, especially for factors in- volved in the role of wildlife as reservoirs of infection * Correspondence: [email protected] 1Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, via Leonardo da [2,10]. Recently, white-tailed deer were indicated as being Vinci, 44, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy responsible for reintroducing the tick vector of Cattle Tick Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2014 Zanet et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Zanet et al. Parasites & Vectors 2014, 7:70 Page 2 of 7 http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/70 Fever in Central Texas and hence the piroplasms respon- identifications of this parasite attributing many of them to sible for bovine babesiosis (Babesia bovis and Babesia B. capreoli. In contrast to ungulates, information on the bigemina) [11]. Different Theileria and Babesia species occurrence and prevalence of piroplasmids in wild canids were reported in wildlife with high prevalence of infection is limited [34]. In Europe, a continent where the Red fox [5,9,12], some of which are recognized zoonotic patho- is present at high densities [35], B. microti-like piroplasms gens, such as Babesia divergens [13], Babesia divergens- were molecularly confirmed in foxes from Central and like [14,15], Babesia venatorum (formerly Babesia sp. Northern Spain [9,36,37], Croatia [38] and Portugal [34]. EU1) [16-18], Babesia microti [2,19,20] and B. microti-like In Portugal, a single fox was also found infected with [21,22]. No Theileria species have to date been identified B. canis [34]. Considering the relevant insights into as causative agents of zoonotic infections [2]. The epi- piroplasm-wildlife epidemiology [39,40], the increasing demiology of Babesia and Theileria in European wildlife is importance of Babesia as an emerging zoonotic disease complex. Besides the variety of host species susceptible to [2,10] and the lack of information on piroplasm epide- infection (i.e. cervids: Roe deer Capreolus capreolus,Red miology in Northwestern Italy [23], we widely investigated deer Cervus elaphus, Fallow deer Dama dama; bovids: Babesia/Theileria infection prevalence in wild ungulates Alpine Chamois Rupicapra rupicapra, Spanish Ibex Capra and carnivores from the Piedmont region (Italy) and their pyrenaica;suids:wildboarSus scrofa) [5,23-25], different biomolecular characteristics, by amplifying and sequen- tick vectors contribute to piroplasmid transmission: Ixodes cing part of the V4 hyper-variable region of the 18S rRNA ricinus is the most common vector of Babesia species in gene. Europe but recently, 5 species of ticks were found to be infected with piroplasmids in Central and Northern Italy Methods [26], suggesting the need to investigate other potential A total of 1036 free-ranging wild ungulates and carnivores vector species since novel tick/pathogen associations were were sampled during a period of 5 years (from 2008 to detected in Hyalomma marginatum, Rhipicephalus san- 2012), in a wide area of Northern Italy (2 million hectares), guineus and I. ricinus [26]. In North America, I. scapularis that includes a wide range of habitats and different eco- is the primary vector responsible for transmission of logical niches ranging from low altitude intensively cul- B. microti to humans [2]. As for Babesia,theoccurrence tivated farm land to Alpine forests and meadows. The of Theileria depends on the simultaneous presence of animals included in the study were either culled by appropriate vector ticks and host species. In the USA, the hunters, accidentally found dead, or culled within official lone-star tick Ambloymma americanum is the only known programs for species demographic control. Ethical and vector of T. cervi, which mainly infects wild ruminants, institutional approval was given by the Department of particularly White-tailed deer [27,28]. In Europe, little is Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin (Italy). Six species known about tick species involved in the transmission of of ungulates were sampled: Roe deer Capreolus capreolus Theileria to cervids, and it is assumed that ticks of the (n = 462), Red deer Cervus elaphus (n = 52), Alpine cha- genera Ixodes, Hyalomma and Rhiphicephalus might be mois Rupicapra rupicapra (n = 36), Fallow deer Dama involved [5,7]. As biomolecular tools are easily available, dama (n = 17) and Wild boar Sus scrofa (n = 257). Two in recent years many studies have investigated the epizoo- carnivore species, Red fox Vulpes vulpes (n = 205) and tiology of piroplasmids circulating in wildlife, leading to Wolf Canis lupus (n = 7) were also included in the study. the identification of several Babesia and Theileria species All animals were promptly brought to the Turin Veteri- strictly related to wild animals or of strains shared with nary Faculty for necropsy where a portion of splenic tissue domestic animals [11,29]. The novel B. venatorum is was collected from each animal and stored at −20°C until strictly related to Roe deer presence [24], while B. capreoli further processing. All standard precautions were taken to was detected in Red deer from Ireland, where Roe deer minimize the risk of cross-contamination (preparation of are absent [24]. C. capreolus was also identified as a pos- PCR and addition of DNA was carried out in separate sible source of fatal babesial infection for the Alpine laminar-flow cabinets using DNA-free disposable material. chamois [30,31]. The territorial expansion and population Positive and negative control samples were processed in increase that involved Roe deer in several European coun- parallel with all samples). Total genomic DNA was ex- tries including