Thierry M. Work Robert A. Rameyer Michael J. Yabsley 2006 <p><span>The phylogenetic relationship of avian </span><i>Babesia</i><span> with other piroplasms remains unclear, mainly because of a lack of objective criteria such as molecular phylogenetics. In this study, our objective was to sequence the entire 18S, ITS-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2 regions of the rRNA gene and partial ß-tubulin gene of </span><i>B. poelea</i><span>, first described from brown boobies (</span><i>Sula leucogaster</i><span>) from the central Pacific, and compare them to those of other piroplasms. Phylogenetic analyses of the entire 18S rRNA gene sequence revealed that </span><i>B. poelea</i><span> belonged to the clade of piroplasms previously detected in humans, domestic dogs, and wild ungulates in the western United States. The entire ITS-1, 5.8S, ITS-2, and partial ß-tubulin gene sequence shared conserved regions with previously described </span><i>Babesia</i><span> and </span><i>Theileria</i><span> species. The intron of the ß-tubulin gene was 45 bp. This is the first molecular characterization of an avian piroplasm.</span></p> application/pdf 10.1645/GE-617R.1 en American Society of Parasitologists Molecular phylogeny of <i>Babesia poelea</i> from brown boobies (<i>Sula leucogaster</i>) from Johnston Atoll, Central Pacific article