THE PIROPLASM.'\SIDA 



293 



Diagnosis : Fever associated with 

 hemoglobinuria, anemia and icterus is 

 suggestive of babesiosis. The diagnosis 

 can be confirmed by finding B. bigemina 

 by microscopic examination of stained 

 blood smears. 



Treatment : Trypan blue was the 

 first effective drug used against babesio- 

 sis, and is still used in some areas. It 

 is administered intravenously in 1 to 2% 

 aqueous solution; up to 200 ml may be 

 given at a time. Two treatments on suc- 

 cessive days may be needed, but 1 is often 

 enough. The tissues turn blue, and re- 

 covery is relatively slow. 



Acriflavine (trypaflavine) is also used 

 to some extent, 50 to 100 ml of a 1% aq- 

 ueous solution being given intravenously. 

 Neither acriflavine nor trypan blue elim- 

 inates all parasites, and recovered an- 

 imals remain premunized. 



A number of aromatic diamidines are 

 effective against B. bigemina. Stilbami- 

 dine was found by Adler and Tchernomoretz 

 (1940) to be effective in calves when injec- 

 ted subcutaneously at a dosage of 2 to 4 

 mg per kg. Phenamidine is used quite 

 widely. Randall and Laws (1947) gave 15 

 mg per kg phenamidine isethionate sub- 

 cutaneously; the drug was well tolerated 

 in doses up to 22. 5 mg per kg. Berenil is 

 the most recent of these drugs to be intro- 

 duced (Bauer, 1955). It is injected intra- 

 muscularly at a dosage rate of 1 to 3 mg 

 per kg body weight. 



The quinoline derivative, acaprin, is 

 also effective. The dosage for cattle is 

 0. 02 ml per kg of a 5% aqueous solution 

 subcutaneously. 



The diamidines and acaprin eliminate 

 all the parasites, so that treated animals 

 are no longer premunized. 



Prevention and Control : Since B. 

 bigemina is transmitted only by ticks, in- 

 fection can be prevented by tick control. 

 This can be done by dipping the cattle reg- 

 ularly. This is the way in which Texas fe- 

 ver was eliminated from the United States. 



Another measure which has been used 

 is artificial premunization of young ani- 

 mals with a mild strain, especially before 

 shipping them to endemic areas. 



Remarks: Spindler et al. (1958) 

 found a Babesia which resembled B. bi- 

 gemina in a white-tailed deer {Odocoilens 

 virginianiis coiiesi) in New Mexico. The 

 animal was weak and had lesions charac- 

 teristic of babesiosis. Blood smears made 

 from several other white-tailed deer, mule 

 deer, cattle and a few antelope from the 

 same region were negative, but this find- 

 ing raises a question as to the existence of 

 a possible reservoir of Babesia in wild 

 deer in the southwestern states. 



BABESIA BOVIS 

 (BABES, 1888) 

 STARCOVICI, 1893 



Synonyms : Haematococcus bouis, 

 Piroplasma bovis, Babesiella bovis, 

 ? Babesiella berbera. 



Disease : Bovine babesiosis, piro- 

 plasmosis, redwater. 



Hosts : Cattle, roe deer, stag. 



Location : Erythrocytes. 



Geographic Distribution : Europe, 

 USSR, Africa. 



Prevalence : This species is the most 

 important cause of European babesiosis. 

 It is common in many regions, but infor- 

 mation on its true prevalence must await 

 a decision as to whether B. berbera is a 

 synonym and must also await new surveys 

 in the light of the recent recognition that 

 B. divergens is a separate species (see 

 below). 



Morphology : The trophozoites in the 

 erythrocytes are piriform, round or ir- 

 regular. Vacuolated "signet-ring" forms 

 are especially common. B. bovis is a 

 small form, with trophozoites measuring 

 about 2. 4 by 1. 5ji (Davies, Joyner and 

 Kendall, 1958). 



