Babesia bigemina

Babesia bigemina
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	SAR
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Aconoidasida
Order:	Piroplasmida
Family:	Babesiidae
Genus:	Babesia
Species:	B. bigemina
Binomial name
Babesia bigemina (Smith et Kilborne, 1893) Wenyon, 1926

Babesia bigemina is a species of alveolates belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa and the family Babesiidae, a type of protozoan parasite. In cattle, it causes babesiosis, also called "Texas fever". Its length is 4–5 μm and its width is 2–3 μm. Usually, it has an oval shape. In blood cells, it is located midsagittally and can reach up to two-thirds of the diameter of the blood cell in size. It is transmitted by Boophilus ticks which are prevalent in the tropics. The genome for B. bigemina is incomplete and unassembled.

Further reading

• Furmaga, Stanisław (1983). Choroby pasożytnicze zwierząt domowych. Warsaw: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Rolnicze i Leśne. ISBN 83-09-00671-3.
• Ganguly, A.; et al. (2017). "Direct blood PCR detection of Babesia bigemina and its effect on haematological and biochemical profile in crossbred cattle of eastern Haryana". Indian Journal of Animal Research. doi:10.18805/ijar.v0iof.7007.
• Hector, E.; et al. (2019). "PCR detection of Ehrlichia ruminantium and Babesia bigemina in cattle from Kwara State, Nigeria: Unexpected absence of infection". Parasitology Research. 118 (3): 1025–1029. doi:10.1007/s00436-019-06204-1. hdl:1983/6749e6ac-fa65-4dd1-b56d-4153e25d7cd9. PMID 30656410. S2CID 58014938.