Common types of Babesia

Common types of Babesia

(1) Babesia westermani: except for its slightly larger body, its morphology is similar to that of Babesia canis. It may be synonymous with Babesia canis.

(2) Babesia gillii: The worm body is very small, mostly circular. Eggs are round and few are pear seed shaped. One red blood cell can host 30 worms.

(3) Babesia canis: It is large, generally 4-5 microns long, up to 7 microns long. The typical worm body is double pear shaped, and the tips of the two worms are connected by acute angles. The number of worms in each red blood cell is 1~16.

It is reported that the transmission vectors of Babesia canis are Haematochaete, Dermacentor marginalis, Dermacentor reticulatum, Dermacentor elegans, Haemaphysalis listeri and Hymenopterus plumbum; The transmission vectors of Babesia gillii are Haemaphysalis haematophilus, Haemaphysalis bicornis and Haemaphysalis longicornis. Both Babesia can be transmitted by eggs or by metamorphosis.