First record of porcine babesiosis in Sri Lanka

Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by hemoprotozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. Porcine babesiosis has not been reported in Sri Lanka. Two species have been identified infecting pigs: Babesia trautmanni and Babesia perroncitoi. Blood samples were collected from 100 healthy pigs of different age categories (piglets, weaners, fatteners, sows and boars) in a piggery at Talatuoya (Kandy District) and were subjected to Giemsa staining and microscopic examination. Selected smear-positive samples were subjected to molecular analysis using PCR with genus-specific primers. Twenty three percent of the pigs in the farm were infected. The microscopic measurement results revealed the likely presence of B. perroncitoi (the mean diameter of the parasite was 0.94±0.20 μm), and PCR results confirmed that it is Babesia sp. Still, sequence data and phylogenetic analysis are required for confirmation. All infected pigs were asymptomatic. This study provides the first record of porcine babesiosis in Sri Lanka. Investigations are underway to determine whether babesiosis is connected to the immunocompromised status of the pigs due to an outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in the piggery.