Fig 1.
Representative diagram of experimental design.
a) Selection of tick-borne pathogen-free (Babesia spp. Theileria spp., Anaplasma spp.) purebred Saanen and indigenous goats; b) Infection of the immunosuppressed indigenous donors with B. aktasi stabilates (PPE 9.2–11.5%) to obtain the fresh infected blood for the infection of immunosuppressed and immunocompetent Saanen goats. Fig 1 was created with BioRender.com (www.biorender.com).
Fig 2.
Intra-erythrocytic stages of B. aktasi in a blood smear from an immunosuppressed Saanen goat (Animal ID. #Saanen-1).
Table 1.
Source infection and PPE, amount of inoculation and route, changes in infection parameters, and the infection outcome in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent Saanen goats (*died due to severe acute illness caused by B. aktasi).
Table 2.
Hematological and serum biochemical profiles between pre-infection and post-infection in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent Saanen goats.
Statistical significance is indicated as follows: **** p<0.0001, *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05.
Fig 3.
Comparison of hematological values between pre-infection and post-infection in immunosuppressed (A) and immunocompetent (B) Saanen goats. Statistical significance is indicated as follows: **** p<0.0001, *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05, ns: not significant.
Fig 4.
The course of PPE (%), rectal temperature (°C), Hb (g/dL), RBC (×106/μL) and HCT (%) changes during acute infection in immunosuppressed Saanen goats infected with B. aktasi (*Saanen goats died due to severe clinical babesiosis caused by the B. aktasi).
Fig 5.
The progression of PPE (%), rectal temperature (°C), Hb (g/dL), RBC (×106/μL), and HCT (%) during acute infection in immunocompetent Saanen goats infected with B. aktasi (*Saanen goats died due to severe clinical babesiosis caused by the B. aktasi).
Fig 6.
Comparison of serum biochemical profiles between pre-infection and post-infection in immunosuppressed (A) and immunocompetent (B) Saanen goats.
Statistical significance is indicated as follows: **** p<0.0001, *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05, ns: not significant).
Fig 7.
The macroscopic lesions in purebred Saanen goats experimentally infected with B. aktasi.
A, pulmonary edema, frothy fluid in the lung and trachea; B, jaundice in subcutaneous and mesenteric adipose tissue; C, dark red urine in the bladder (hemoglobinuria).