Babesia species detected in deer from Southwest England

Leverett, H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7426-4664, Apaa, T. T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7315-1262, McFadzean, H. and Johnson, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6106-9373 (2025) Babesia species detected in deer from Southwest England. Pathogens, 14 (4). 303. ISSN 2076-0817 doi: 10.3390/pathogens14040303

Abstract/Summary

Babesia species have been detected in deer across Europe, and deer grazing in the same location as livestock may increase the risk of transmission of species such as the parasite B. divergens. Bovine babesiosis and the cost of treatment increase the economic burden on farmers. To determine the presence of Babesia species in wild deer populations in the counties of Devon and Somerset, Southwest England, blood samples were collected from red (Cervus elaphus) and fallow (Dama dama) deer as part of routine deer management during late 2022 and early 2023. Extracted DNA samples were tested for the presence of piroplasm DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Amplicons were sequenced to identify the species present in samples based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the 18S rRNA gene. Two species of Babesia were detected: a B. divergens/capreoli species detected in both red and fallow deer and a Babesia species related to B. odocoilei in a single fallow deer, a species that has been detected in deer across Great Britain. The presence of B. divergens/capreoli in deer blood from these areas provides evidence that wild deer could serve as a reservoir for this parasite within Southern England.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127608
Identification Number/DOI	10.3390/pathogens14040303
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	No Reading authors. Back catalogue items Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Animal Sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords	Red deer; fallow deer; Babesia
Publisher	MDPI
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item