City vets’ gene research on blood parasite disease makes it to global science database

Kolkata: Two veterinary doctors from the city have made an international breakthrough in the field of veterinary molecular diagnostics and pathogen research, as National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), USA, has accepted their gene sequencing research for treatment of Babesia Gibsoni, a dangerous blood parasite that affects dogs and becomes life-threatening if not diagnosed early.Babesia Gibsoni is a protozoan parasite that infects red blood cells of dogs, leading to anaemia, fever, lethargy, enlarged spleen and liver, dark-coloured urine and thrombocytopenia (low number of platelets in blood). In the past two months, researchers Subhamoy Ghosh and Shamimdra Nath Sarkar, serving in the state ARD department for long, conducted experiments to improve treatment of the canines suffering due to the parasite. According to veterinary experts, the tick-borne parasitic disease has been rising alarmingly as it accounts for over 94% of canine babesiosis cases in Bengal.The nucleotide sequence has been assigned the GenBank accession number PZ381575 and has been published in the international NCBI database, according to the researchers. NCBI has uploaded their sequence on their website for development of scientific knowledge and updating sequence for further scientific research towards diagnosis treatment and development of novel diagnostics based on the sequence. This sequence was generated from a clinical veterinary sample processed at the private facility, Animal Health Pathology Lab (AHPL) Kolkata."This international publication also places Bengal on the global veterinary genomics and molecular science map. This research work is important because it helps scientists and veterinarians better identify and understand Babesia Gibsoni. In simple terms, this work acts like creating a genetic identity card of the parasite. Just like fingerprints help identify a person, gene sequencing helps identify the exact organism causing disease," said Sarkar, a virologist who retired from the state ARD department.The research aimed at early detection of the disease, supporting accurate laboratory diagnosis, assisting future research on tick-borne diseases and helping scientists track genetic changes in parasites, stated the other vet, Ghosh. "The identified organism, Babesia Gibsoni, is a clinically significant hemoprotozoan parasite affecting dogs and is associated with canine babesiosis, an important tick-borne disease requiring accurate molecular diagnosis and surveillance," he said."By publishing the gene sequence in the international NCBI GenBank database of the United States National Library of Medicine, our facility has made this genetic information available to scientists and laboratories across the world. A private laboratory from Bengal successfully contributing to global scientific data demonstrates that high-level veterinary genomic research is now being performed locally in India as well," said Pratip Chakraborty, director of AHPL .