Fig. 1

Distribution map of piroplasmid infection in wild carnivores worldwide. (1) High prevalence of Babesia microti-like group in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Europe suggests that this species may be acting as a sylvatic reservoir for these species, or may even be the natural host of the parasite. (2) A canine distemper epidemic among Serengeti lions (Panthera leo) was associated with high levels of Babesia during the 1994 and 2001 outbreaks. (3) Raccoons (Procyon lotor) in USA and Japan may be uncontrolled reservoirs of Babesia sp. and may also participate in the dynamics of human babesiosis caused by B. microti as dispersors of infected ticks. (4) Bobcats (Lynx rufus) and probably (5) cougars (Puma concolor) are the reservoirs of Cytauxzoon felis in North America. (6) The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a natural host for Cytauxzoon spp. in the Iberian Peninsula, but due to its reduced population size cannot be considered a relevant reservoir of the parasite. (7) Brazilian wild felids, such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), may also be natural hosts for Cytauxzoon sp. because infection is never related to the presence of clinical signs. (8) Pallas's cats (Otocolobus manul) imported into Oklahoma from Mongolia were found to be infected with intraerythrocytic piroplasms, and DNA sequencing revealed a novel organism, Cytauxzoon manul. (9) A meerkat population in South Africa was found to be frequently infected with Babesia and Cytauxzoon without showing signs of disease. (10) An Asiatic wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) was found suffering from clinical signs of cytauxzoonosis in Iran