Babesiosis

Definition

Babesiosis is a parasite infection passed from the bite of an infected tick. It damages red blood cells and makes it hard for them to carry oxygen to the body.

Causes

Babesiosis is caused by a parasite found in some ticks. An infected tick passes the parasite to humans.

The parasite can also be passed through a blood transfusion from an infected donor. This is not common.

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A Tick

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Risk Factors

Things that may raise the risk of this infection are:

• Spending time in places where the tick and parasite exist:
  • North America: The Northeast, upper Midwest, and northern Pacific Coast
  • Europe: Various countries and the British Isles
  • Asia
  • Africa
  • South America
• Having a weakened immune system—raises the risk of a more severe infection

Symptoms

Some people will not have symptoms. Others may not have them until a few days or weeks after the bite. They are often flu-like symptoms such as:

• Fever and chills
• Sweating
• Headache
• Muscle and joint aches
• Lack of hunger
• Nausea and vomiting
• Tiredness
• Cough

A severe infection can be deadly. It can make it hard to breathe and lead to problems with the heart, liver, or kidney.

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about symptoms, past health, and possible exposure to ticks. A physical exam will be done.

Blood tests will be done to look for signs of the infection.

Treatment

A person without symptoms may not need to be treated. The immune system will clear the parasite from the body.

An infection that causes symptoms will need to be treated. Treatment includes antibiotics and antiparasitic medicines. These may be given by mouth or IV.

Prevention

To lower the risk of this infection:

• Avoid tick-infested areas—such as fields with brush and tall grass.
• Wear light-colored clothing to better see a crawling tick.
• Tuck pants into socks when in tick-infested habitats.
• Regularly check and remove ticks from the body—when in areas with many ticks.
• Remove ticks using fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick close to the skin’s surface and pull upward steadily.
• Bathe or shower within 2 hours of being in an area where there could be ticks.
• Clean tick bites with soap and water.
• Use tick repellents.