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Piroplasms in brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) in Namibia and South Africa are closely related to Babesia lengau

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Abstract

The objective of our study was identification and molecular characterization of piroplasms and rickettsias occurring in brown (Parahyaena brunnea) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) from various localities in Namibia and South Africa. Whole blood (n = 59) and skin (n = 3) specimens from brown (n = 15) and spotted hyaenas (n = 47) were screened for the presence of Babesia, Theileria, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species using the reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization technique. PCR products of 52/62 (83.9%) of the specimens hybridized only with the Theileria/Babesia genus-specific probes and not with any of the species-specific probes, suggesting the presence of a novel species or variant of a species. No Ehrlichia and/or Anaplasma species DNA could be detected. A parasite 18S ribosomal RNA gene of brown (n = 3) and spotted hyaena (n = 6) specimens was subsequently amplified and cloned, and the recombinants were sequenced. Homologous sequence searches of databases indicated that the obtained sequences were most closely related to Babesia lengau, originally described from cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Observed sequence similarities were subsequently confirmed by phylogenetic analyses which showed that the obtained hyaena sequences formed a monophyletic group with B. lengau, B abesia conradae and sequences previously isolated from humans and wildlife in the western USA. Within the B. lengau clade, the obtained sequences and the published B. lengau sequences were grouped into six distinct groups, of which groups I to V represented novel B. lengau genotypes and/or gene variants. We suggest that these genotypes cannot be classified as new Babesia species, but rather as variants of B. lengau. This is the first report of occurrence of piroplasms in brown hyaenas.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported financially by the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa (grant no 95836 to BLP and grant no 76529 to MCO). Specimens were obtained from (i) the South African National Parks (SANParks) Biobank, Skukuza, and (ii) the NRF Biobank at the National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa

    Richard E.J. Burroughs

  2. Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa

    Barend L. Penzhorn, Ilse Vorster & Marinda C. Oosthuizen

  3. Research Associate, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Boom Street, Pretoria, South Africa

    Barend L. Penzhorn

  4. Brown Hyena Research Project, P.O. Box 739, Lüderitz, Namibia

    Ingrid Wiesel

  5. Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Ingrid Wiesel

  6. School of Biological Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Nancy Barker

  7. Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Nancy Barker

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  1. Richard E.J. Burroughs
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  2. Barend L. Penzhorn
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  3. Ingrid Wiesel
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Correspondence to Barend L. Penzhorn.

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All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This study (V058/11) was approved by the Research Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Science and the Animal Use and Care Committee of the University of Pretoria.

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Burroughs, R.E., Penzhorn, B.L., Wiesel, I. et al. Piroplasms in brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) in Namibia and South Africa are closely related to Babesia lengau . Parasitol Res 116, 685–692 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5334-5

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