Mechanism of Life Cycle and Transmission of Babesia

Abstract

Babesia is tick-borne apicomplexan protozoa which causes babesiosis. Babesiosis is an important tick-borne disease that affects a wide range of domestic and wild animals and occasionally humans in tropical and subtropical countries. So far, more than 100 different Babesia species have been identified in animals. Babesiosis occurs globally and can lead to significant economic losses, including mortality, decreased meat and milk production, and indirect costs associated with tick control measures. All species of Babesia has heteroxenous lifecycle. Ticks serve as definitive hosts for the sexual development of the organism, while mammals act as intermediate hosts by harboring the asexual stages. Mammals become infected with Babesia through the bite of infected ticks, which inject sporozoites into the bloodstream through their saliva. These sporozoites bind to red blood cells (RBCs), enter them via endocytosis and developing into trophozoites. They reproduce through binary fission, generating merozoites that break open infected red blood cells and invade new ones. Some merozoites develop into gamonts, which engage in sexual reproduction in the tick's gut, resulting in the creation of zygotes that invade the midgut epithelial cells. Zygotes change into motile ookinetes and move to the tick's salivary glands, where they develop into sporozoites. This review topic aims to provide useful informa¬tion about the mechanism of life cycle, transmission, Economic importance, history and timed of intracellular of Babesia species.