Pure Isolation and Identification of Babesia ovata by Morphological Characteristics and Complement Fixation Test in Korea

Babesia ovata의 순수분리와 형태학적 및 혈청학적 동정

This study was conducted to identify Babesia sp. strain isolated from the imported beef cattle, Aberdeen-angus heifers, in J farm of Jangsu Prefecture, Cheon-buk Province of Korea, morphologically, etiologically and serologically. Babesia sp. strain was purely isolated through the serial blood passages of three generations against splenectomized calves and one generation of blood passage against non-splenectomized calf(intact calf) by inhibiting the appearance of Theileria sergenti in the blood stream by means of injection of 20% oil pamaquine intramuscularly. In the splenectomized calves, the parasite multiplied markedly in blood stream soon after inoculation and parasitaemia was much severe. An elevated body temperature, anorexia, severe anaemia and icterus were observed clinically. Of three splenectomized calves, two were affected with haemoglobinuria and died. But in the non-splenectomized calf the clinical signs and parasitaemia were very mild. The means of the incubation period, the highest parasitaemia, the highest body temperature and the lowest PCV were 3.5 days, 41.1%, ${42^{\circ}C}$ and 9%, respectively, in the splenectomized calves. In calf erythrocytes Babesia sp. protozoa were polymorphic showing the round, oval, ameboid, piriform and paired piriform etc. The sizes of protozoa were $2.51{\sim}3.91{\times}1.32{\sim}2.19{{\mu}m}$ ($3.20{\times}1.60{\mu}m$). Serologically the isolated Babesia sp. were compared with other parasites, B. ovata, B. bigemina, B. bovis, T. sergenti, A. marginale and A. centrale by using the complement fixation(CF) test. As a result, the antibody titer between the homologous species were high. It was two tubes or more in the CF test. From the results obtained above the pure isolated Babesia species was identical with Babesia ovata Minami and Ishihara, 1980.