difference of the BbTRAP gene was found between different isolates
(Fig. 4). However, the number of currently available Babesia TRAP
sequences in GenBank is very limited. Therefore, the comparison with
known genotypes is relatively less informative at this stage. Since polymorphic
repeats are useful genomic markers (Gelfand et al., 2007),
tandem repeat DNA sequences of the BgTRAP gene were thus analysed
in the present study. Results indicated that nucleotide insertions observed
in three positions in BgTRAP gene in the Indian isolates related
to tandem repeats of DQTD, PH and EEAEED amino acids present in
the TRAP proteins of Bangladeshi isolates. The number of the consensus
repeats of PH in the BgTRAP varied from 3 to 9, DQTD from 2 to 4 and
those of EEAEED from 3 to 5 in the isolates identified in India and
Bangladesh. This tandemrepeat analysis of the gene fragments showed
considerable number of genetic variants whichwere common to Indian
and Bangladeshi isolates.