Human Case of Piroplasmosis (Babesiosis)

Fitzpatrick, John E.; Kennedy, C. Cotton; McGeown, Mary G.; Oreopoulos, D. G.; Robertson, J. H.; Soyannwo, M. A. O.

doi:10.1038/217861a0

Cited by 67 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…The first case of TTB is often ascribed to a 1968 report from Ireland that purportedly identified the transmission of B. divergens to a 48-year-old asplenic male approximately 4 months after receiving a blood transfusion (31). However, a follow-up report by those same authors attributed this patient's infection with B. divergens to a caravan holiday in County Galloway, Ireland, during mid-August (32).…”

Section: Case Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Transfusion-TransmittedBabesiaspp.: Bull's-Eye onBabesia microti

2011

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SUMMARY Babesia spp. are intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of animals and humans that cause babesiosis, a zoonotic disease transmitted primarily by tick vectors. Although a variety of species or types of Babesia have been described in the literature as causing infection in humans, the rodent parasite Babesia microti has emerged as the focal point of human disease, especially in the United States. Not only has B. microti become established as a public health concern, this agent is increasingly being transmitted by blood transfusion: estimates suggest that between 70 and 100 cases of transfusion-transmitted Babesia (TTB) have occurred over the last 30 years. A recent upsurge in TTB cases attributable to B. microti , coupled with at least 12 fatalities in transfusion recipients diagnosed with babesiosis, has elevated TTB to a key policy issue in transfusion medicine. Despite clarity on a need to mitigate transmission risk, few options are currently available to prevent the transmission of B. microti by blood transfusion. Future mitigation efforts may stress serological screening of blood donors in regionalized areas of endemicity, with adjunct nucleic acid testing during the summer months, when acute infections are prevalent. However, several hurdles remain, including the absence of a licensed blood screening assay and a thorough cost-benefit analysis of proposed interventions. Despite current obstacles, continued discussion of TTB without proactive intervention is no longer a viable alternative.

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Section: Case Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Transfusion-TransmittedBabesiaspp.: Bull's-Eye onBabesia microti

2011

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“…The parasite was first positively identified in a splenectomized deep-sea fisherman from Northern Ireland, who probably contracted the disease during a camping holiday (54). In contrast to North America, where human babesiosis is considered an emerging zoonosis with a mortality rate of about 5% (93), babesia infections in Europe are much less common but much more severe and require immediate aggressive treatment.…”

Section: Distribution and Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Splenectomized calves and immature gerbils become fully susceptible to disease (37,46,108). Likewise, several primate, deer, and rodent species with innate resistance to B. divergens may suffer severe infections if they have been splenectomized (54,56,58,134,138). The cells involved in the innate immune system, macrophages and NK cells, are thought to degrade intraerythrocytic parasites by releasing soluble mediators (79).…”

Section: Immunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within a few years, B. divergens was identified as the causative agent in the first of a growing number of cases in splenectomized humans (54). Subsequently the host range was extended experimentally by transmitting the parasite by needle injection from infected cattle to splenectomized mouflon, red, roe, and fallow deer (49) and intact reindeer (134).…”

Section: Host Specificity and Parasite Morphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Babesia divergens , a Bovine Blood Parasite of Veterinary and Zoonotic Importance

et al. 2003

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Babesia divergens is an intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite, transmitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus, and is the main agent of bovine babesiosis in Europe. It is not only a cause of significant loss to the cattle industry; it can also infect immunocompromised humans, causing medical emergencies characterized by rapid fulmination and parasitemias that may exceed 70%. The current emphasis in Europe on sustainable agriculture and extensification is likely to lead to an increase in vector tick populations with increased risk of infection. Despite the veterinary and zoonotic importance of this parasite, relatively little research has been carried out on B. divergens, and many questions regarding the parasite's epidemiology and the host's response remain unanswered. A better understanding of the species' biology and host-parasite interactions may lead to improved control mechanisms and new trends in vaccine and antibabesial drug development. This review provides the first comprehensive summary of B. divergens biology, including its morphology, life cycle, and host specificity, and the current state of knowledge of both human and bovine infections

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“…Babesiosis in humans is a zoonotic disease that is transmitted from animal reservoirs to humans by ticks of the Ixodes genus (21,25,52). The first human infections were identified among asplenic patients in Europe (1957) and among normosplenic residents of Nantucket Island, MA, in the United States (1970) (11,16,51,55). More recently, blood transfusions from otherwise healthy donors who harbor occult infections have been recognized as an important potential risk factor in disease transmission (1,12,19,23,32,53).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiplex Assay Detection of Immunoglobulin G Antibodies That Recognize Babesia microti Antigens

Priest

Moss

Won

et al. 2012

Clin Vaccine Immunol

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Human babesiosis, a blood-borne infection caused by several species of Babesia, including B. microti, is an emerging disease that is endemic in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. Risk factors for babesiosis include exposure to the infected tick vector and blood transfusions from infected donors. In this work, we cloned and expressed two of the immunodominant antigens from B. microti and used them in a multiplex bead format assay (MBA) to detect parasitespecific IgG responses in human sera. The MBA using recombinant B. microti secreted antigen 1 (BmSA1) protein was more specific (100%) and slightly more sensitive (98.7%) than the assay using a truncated recombinant BMN1-17 construct (97.6% and 97.4%, respectively). Although some antibody reactivity was observed among sera from confirmed-malaria patients, only one Plasmodium falciparum sample was simultaneously positive for IgG antibodies to both antigens. Neither antigen reacted with sera from babesiosis patients who were infected with Babesia species other than B. microti. Both positive and negative MBA results were reproducible between assays and between instruments. Additional studies of these recombinant antigens and of the multiplex bead assay using blood samples from clinically defined babesiosis patients and from blood donors are needed to more clearly define their usefulness as a blood screening assay.

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Human Case of Piroplasmosis (Babesiosis)

Cited by 67 publications

References 0 publications

Transfusion-TransmittedBabesiaspp.: Bull's-Eye onBabesia microti

Transfusion-TransmittedBabesiaspp.: Bull's-Eye onBabesia microti

Babesia divergens , a Bovine Blood Parasite of Veterinary and Zoonotic Importance

Multiplex Assay Detection of Immunoglobulin G Antibodies That Recognize Babesia microti Antigens

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