Babesia gibsoni of dogs from North America and Asia
belong to different species.

Zahler, M., Rinder, H., Zweygarth, E., Fukata, T., Maede, Y., Schein, E. & Gothe, R. 2000.  Parasitology, 120: 365-369.

(The authors compared the 18S rDNA sequences from 4 isolates of B. gibsoni from Japan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka with a previously published 0.5 kb portion of the 18S rDNA of a B. gibsoni isolate from California, USA, and with the corresponding 18S rDNA sequences of other Babesia spp.  Distance, parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses showed almost identical genotypes among the small canine Babesiae from Asia, but an unexpected distant genetic relationship to that from the USA.  While the American isolate segregated with Theileria equi, the Asia isolates (canine babesia isolates) showed a close relationship to B divergens and B. odocoilei. The authors conclude that the small Babesiae of dogs in North America and Asia belong to different, genetically distantly   related species.) (TW) 

(GU: Although the subject is not of direct interest to tropical livestock, its revolutionary nature should be of interest to everyone dealing with tick-borne diseases.  Theo has promised to further review the subject in the next issue, when he will also review recent references on the introduction of equine piroplasms in Australia.).