Epidemiological and phylogenetic investigation of Babesia spp. in dogs of Hainan province/island, China

Babesiosis is a significant tick borne disease, which is widely prevalent globally. Many research studies have discussed the presence of Babesia gibsoni, Babesia vogeli and Babesia canis in dogs in China. In the present study, we have used molecular approaches to detect the presence of Babesia spp. in dogs of Hainan province/island, China. A total of 1106 dog blood samples were collected from Hainan Island, of which 61 samples were found to be positive for Babesia vogeli. The highest infection rate was 56.7% (17/30) detected from Tunchang, followed by 25.0% (3/12) from Baisha and 10.4% (5/48) from Wenchang. There was only one positive case of Babesia gibsoni, and the infection rate was 0.1% (1/1106). The sequencing results showed that the subjected sample sequences were identical to Babesia vogeli and Babesia gibsoni. The results derived from this study will be helpful for planning the effective treatment, control and prevention of babesiosis in dogs of Hainan province/island.