Besnoitia besnoiti explained

Besnoitia besnoiti is an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum,^[1] . It is part of a larger genus Besnoiti affecting multiple animal species, but Besnoita besnoiti, can affect livestock.^[2] and more specifically cattle as intermediate host, although some specific antibodies have been found in roe deer and red deer.^[3]

The biological cycle of the parasite remains unknown, it is suggested however that a carnivore, or more specifically the red fox, might be the definitive host.

Geographical area

The origin of the disease seems to be difficult to specify, as there has been little attention to it until the end of the 20th century. It seems to be endemic from south of Europe,^[4] or maybe sub-Saharan countries.^[5] The disease has spread rapidly in the beginning of the 21st century, expanding its range to multiple continents. In Europe, it did spread from the south to cases being detected in multiple more northern countries like Germany or Belgium.

Pathology: bovine besnoitiosis

Besnoitia besnoiti, is responsible for 2 sequential phases of disease: an acute phase, followed by a chronic phase. The acute phase can be lethal or lead to infertility or sterility of males. The symptoms range from fever, anorexia, depression, followed by vascular disorder. The chronic phase can cause a wide range of skin lesions. Unfortunately, no vaccines or therapeutic tools exist yet to halt its progress.

Genetics

This species has roughly 8,500 genes spread out over 13 chromosomes.^[6]

Further reading

Alvarez-Garcia. G. Garcia-Lunar. P. Gutierrez-Exposito. D. Shkap. V. Ortega-Mora. LM. Dynamics of Besnoitia besnoiti infection in cattle. Parasitology. September 2014. 141. 11. 1419–1435. 10.1017/S0031182014000729. 24871877. 31752339.

Notes and References

1. Delooz . Laurent . Evrard . Julien . Mpouam . Serge Eugene . Saegerman . Claude . 2021-11-23 . Emergence of Besnoitia besnoiti in Belgium . Pathogens . en . 10 . 12 . 1529 . 10.3390/pathogens10121529 . 2076-0817 . 8706464 . 34959484. free .
2. Olias . P. . Schade . B. . Mehlhorn . H. . 2011 . Molecular pathology, taxonomy and epidemiology of Besnoitia species (Protozoa: Sarcocystidae) . Infection, Genetics and Evolution . 11 . 7 . 1564–76 . 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.08.006 . 21906696.
3. González‐Barrio . David . Köster . Pamela C. . Habela . Miguel A. . Martín‐Pérez . Manuel . Fernández‐García . Jose L. . Balseiro . Ana . Barral . Marta . Nájera . Fernando . Figueiredo . Ana M. . Palacios . Maria Jesus . Mateo . Marta . November 2021 . Molecular survey of Besnoitia spp. (Apicomplexa) in faeces from European wild mesocarnivores in Spain . Transboundary and Emerging Diseases . en . 68 . 6 . 3156–3166 . 10.1111/tbed.14206 . 34174029 . 235648406 . 1865-1674. free .
4. Jacquiet . P. . Liénard . E. . Franc . M. . November 2010 . Bovine besnoitiosis: Epidemiological and clinical aspects . Veterinary Parasitology . en . 174 . 1–2 . 30–36 . 10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.08.013. 20850933 .
5. González-Barrio . David . Diezma-Díaz . Carlos . Gutiérrez-Expósito . Daniel . Tabanera . Enrique . Jiménez-Meléndez . Alejandro . Pizarro . Manuel . González-Huecas . Marta . Ferre . Ignacio . Ortega-Mora . Luis M. . Álvarez-García . Gema . December 2021 . Identification of molecular biomarkers associated with disease progression in the testis of bulls infected with Besnoitia besnoiti . Veterinary Research . en . 52 . 1 . 106 . 10.1186/s13567-021-00974-2 . 1297-9716 . 8296687 . 34294155 . free .
6. Web site: Besnoitia besnoiti (ID 62526) - Genome - NCBI. 2020-12-31. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.