Molecular Identification of a Novel Species, Babesia panickeri sp. nov., from a Naturally Infected Domestic Cat of India and Its Comparison with Canine Babesia Isolates.

Introduction: Babesiosis is a tick-borne hemo-parasitic disease of domestic and wild animals. Parasites causing babesiosis are considered to infect only specific hosts but some sporadic reports in recent past are in strong disagreement with their host specificity. This is the first report of a domestic cat being naturally infected with a novel Babesia sp.