Babesia moshkovskii

Redescription of Babesia moshkovskii

Parasite. Babesia moshkovskii ( Schurenkova, 1938) , Laird and Lari, 1957.

Type host. Gypaetus barbatus L.

Type locality. Tadjikistan.

Neohapantotype. From Gyps fulvus (Hablizl) coll. Lanzarot (16 November 2000), central Spain. Deposited in the International Reference Centre for Avian Haematozoa, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia ( IRCAH: G463660 ).

Paraneohapantotype. From Gyps fulvus coll. Lanzarot (16 November 2000), central Spain. Deposited in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain (accession number MNCN 35.02/18) .

Redescription. The smallest forms are round to ovoid in shape with small amounts of chromatin located peripherally and with a clear cytoplasm measuring 1.51 SD 0.23 x 1.44 SD 0.20 Mm (N =9) (fi gure la). As the parasites grow they may become amoeboid tetrads with four distinct chromatin masses on one side measuring 2.50 SD 0.37 x 2.08 SD 0.36 Mm (N =23) (fi gure lb, f). These are schizont precursors. Other forms commonly seen are ovoid or amoeboid in shape, large and with chromatin in stranded shapes within the cytoplasm (fi gure 1e, f), these measure up to 1.73 SD 0.29 x 2.11 SD 0.34 Mm (N =14) in size. Schizonts produce four merozoites in a cruciform shape which is generally presented as two opposing pairs (fi gure 1c) rather than the more common equal angled Maltese-cross formation seen in other avian Babesia spp. The merozoites measure 1.27 SD 0.45 x 0.56 SD 0.10 Mm (N =31) and the overall size of the schizonts is 3.32 SD 0.82 x 2.81 SD 0.94 Mm (N =7). The nucleus in merozoites occupies a proximal position. Schizonts producing only three merozoites (fi gure 1d) also occur.

Discussion

The illustrations in the original description of B. moshkovskii ( Schurenkova, 1938) correspond accurately with those seen in G. fulvus . Attempts to trace the original type material in Russia failed to locate any slides (M.A.P.) and it is assumed that the material is lost. Therefore neohapantotyp e material is desirable ( Peirce, 2000) and that from the present study fi lls this gap. It would not be acceptable to use material for taxonomic purposes derived from blood collected into anticoagulan t ( Peirce, 2000) and for this reason only smears prepared directly from fresh blood were used in the present study.

Schurenkova (1938) also described what she referred to as schizonts in leucocytes, and illustrated them in the original description. Laird and Lari (1957) considered these to be concentrations of phagocytose d chromatin; a view subsequently endorsed by Peirce (2000) on the grounds that species of Babesia do not have such schizonts and no similar inclusions had been observed in other avian species infected with Babesia and examined post-mortem. None of the slides from G. fulvus showed any such inclusions in leucocytes and it is concluded that those seen by Schurenkova (1938) were not related to B. moshkovskii .

Comparison between B. moshkovskii and B. shortii ( Mohammed, 1958) which infects the closely related family Falconidae clearly show distinct morphological differences and measurements and further support the view that avian species of Babesia are host-speci fi c at least to the family level. Babesia moshkovski i is considered to occur throughout the range of the Accipitridae .

The vector of B. moshkovskii is currently unknown but is most probably a species of ixodid tick. During the current study B. shortii was found in Falco peregrinus Tunstall from Madrid, Spain (slide MNCN 35.02/3, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid). This brings to six the number of species recorded as hosts of B. shortii ( Peirce, 2000) .

Babesia spp. are frequently reported from young undernourished birds both in Spain ( Merino, 1998) and other countries (see Peirce, 2000); thus the parasite is most likely transmitted at the nest by ixodid ticks. Infection in adult birds may be concomitant with other disease agents ( Samour and Peirce, 1996; Blanco et al., 1997). Surprisingly, a recent report from the same study area did not fi nd any haematozoa in griffon vultures ( Blanco et al., 1998) even though the young birds sampled exhibited similar clinical conditions to those in the present study.

There are currently a number of reintroduction programmes for griffon vultures from Spain into several other European countries. We are unaware of the quarantine and screening control guidelines followed in such cases, but the potential pathogenicity of B. moshkovskii would appear to be similar to that of some other avian Babesia spp. ( Samour and Peirce, 1996) and therefore clearly indicates that the disease status of vultures should be carefully monitored prior to translocation and if necessary appropriate chemotherapy administered.