Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina are protozoan parasites of the
Apicomplexa phylum that cause bovine babesiosis, a cattle disease transmitted by ticks
of the Rhipicephalus genera. It is a disease of the tropical and subtropical regions,
therefore in Mexico, it is present in 51.5% of the national territory. The severe negative
impact of cattle ticks and bovine babesiosis on the livestock industry in Mexico and the
world persists due to the absence of safe and effective commercial vaccines. Vaccines
based on genomics and biotechnological tools promise to be a solution to this problem.
With the complete genome sequence of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina, genomic
studies of these pathogens are now possible and valuable information is available on
the essential characteristics of their composition and their comparison with the other
Apicomplexa protozoa of importance in human and animal health, as well as the
identification of new genes with vaccination or therapeutic potential. In this chapter,
we review the latest knowledge in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that trigger a
protective, immune response and the identification of the molecular targets for vaccine
development, all of which are a key priority to develop control measures against these
pathogens.
Keywords: Bovine babesiosis, Erythrocyte invasion, Molecular targets, Vaccine
development.
