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Bosman, A.-M.; Venter, E.H.; Penzhorn, B.L.
Occurrence of _Babesia felis_ and _Babesia_ _leo_ in various wild felid species and domestic cats in Southern Africa, based on reverse line blot analysis
2007 Veterinary Parasitology (144): 33-38
Reverse line blot (RLB) is a hybridization assay that can be used to detect various blood parasites and differentiate between them. Results, using the RLB, showed that _Babesia felis_ and _Babesia leo_ occurred as single or mixed infections in various felid species, but most frequently in domestic cats and lions, respectively. Prevalence of infection in free-ranging cheetahs in Namibia was low (7, 5%), whereas 50% of free-ranging lions in South Africa and Swaziland were infected. A large number (52, 9%) of samples tested positive only for _Babesia_, neither _B. felis_ nor _B. leo_. This could be an indication of at least one further, as yet undescribed, _Babesia_ species in felids.
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