Babesia Microti – Known and Unknown Protists

Abstract

B. microti is known as the main etiological agent of human babesiosis and there are some case studies for that disease, highlighting the fact that this is an important "emerging tick-borne disease". However a lot of information about this protist is unclear.The reactions in the liver are noticeable already after the fi rst three weeks of infection. This therefore provides the basis for discussion of the effect of B. microti contact with hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo. This issue is an essential objective of our study.The effect of B. microti on the liver as an organ and the individual hepatocytes is evident. This may be an indirect impact, through the various factors of metabolic pathways. Ultrastructural studies of breeding co-culture of hepatocytes and B. microti has shown, however, that piroplasms B. microti are adhering to the outer surface of the hepatocytes. This contact is associated with destructive changes in hepatocytes both necrotic and apoptotic.

Histopathological Analysis of Selected Organs of Rats with Congenital Babesiosis Caused by Babesia microti

“…A considerable prevalence of vertical transmission in rats of the pathogens used in the experiment was observed [10,11].…”