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Epidemiologie, Mikrobiologie,... 2023Babesiosis is a less common but important tick-borne infectious disease. Over the last 50 years, an increasing number of cases have been reported worldwide, especially...
Babesiosis is a less common but important tick-borne infectious disease. Over the last 50 years, an increasing number of cases have been reported worldwide, especially in the USA. The northern part of the US is an endemic area where the incidence has risen to 2,000 cases per year in the last decade. Babesia microti, a parasite of small rodents, is the cause of most of these infections in that region. In Europe, 56 autochthonous cases of human babesiosis have been reported since 1957. Most of them were caused by the species Babesia divergens, a parasite of cattle. Since 1992, 13 cases of B. microti infection have been imported from North America into Europe. The disease is serious especially for splenectomised and immunocompromised patients. Although the most important vector of babesiosis in Europe is the tick Ixodes ricinus, infection was transmitted through blood transfusion in number of patients, which can be fatal for immunosuppressed patients. The diagnosis of babesiosis is based on the identification of intraerythrocytic parasites in a blood smear, PCR detection of Babesia DNA, and determination of antibodies by serology and immunofluorescence assays. The disease is treated with antibiotics (azithromycin or clindamycin in a severe course of the disease) and quinine. The increase in human babesiosis is not only due to climate change and tick activity, outdoor leisure activities, and increased human migration, but an important role is also played by improved molecular methods and growing awareness of the disease.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Cattle; Babesiosis; Babesia; Europe
PubMed: 37871992
DOI: No ID Found -
Trends in Parasitology Aug 2023
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Babesia bovis; Babesia; Babesiosis; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 37280144
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.05.003 -
Trends in Parasitology Mar 2024
Topics: Humans; Babesia; Babesiosis; DNA, Protozoan
PubMed: 38104025
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.11.008 -
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North... May 2024Ticks are responsible for the vast majority of vector-borne illnesses in the United States. The number of reported tick-borne disease (TBD) cases has more than doubled... (Review)
Review
Ticks are responsible for the vast majority of vector-borne illnesses in the United States. The number of reported tick-borne disease (TBD) cases has more than doubled in the past 20 years. The majority of TBD cases occur in warm weather months in individuals with recent outdoor activities in wooded areas. The risk of contracting a TBD is also highly dependent on geographic location. Between 24 and 48 hours of tick attachment is required for most disease transmission to occur. Only 50% to 70% of patients with a TBD will recall being bitten by a tick, and TBDs are often initially misdiagnosed as a viral illness. Most TBDs are easily treated when diagnosed early in their course.
Topics: Animals; Humans; United States; Ehrlichiosis; Tick-Borne Diseases; Ticks
PubMed: 38641392
DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2024.01.004 -
Heliyon Jun 2023Babesiosis is a protozoal disease affect livestock and pet animals such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, mules, dogs, and cats. It causes severe... (Review)
Review
Babesiosis is a protozoal disease affect livestock and pet animals such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, mules, dogs, and cats. It causes severe economic losses in livestock as well as in pet animals. A large number of dairy animals are imported in order to fulfill the demands of milk, milk, meat and its products. In addition, different pet animals are transported from Pakistan to various parts of the world, therefore, it is important to identify the current status and distribution of babesiosis throughout Pakistan in order to control the disease and draw attention for future research, diagnosis, treatment and control of this diseases. No work has been done on a complete review on up-to-date on blood protozoal disease burden in Pakistan. This article will provide about the complete background of babesiosis in ruminants, equines and pet animals, its current status, distribution, vectors in Pakistan and allopathic and ethnoveterinary treatments used against babesiosis. Babesiosis may be subclinical (apparently normal) and may be clinical with acute to chronic disease and sometimes fatal. Babesia is found and develops inside the erythrocytes (red blood cells). Clinically, it causes fever, fatigue, lethargy, pallor mucus membranes, malaise, cachexia, respiratory distress, jaundice, icterus, hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinuria, lymphadenopathy, chollangocytitis, hepatomegaly, and splenomegaly. Chemotherapy for babesiosis includes Imidocarb dipropionate, Diaminazine aceturate Atovaquone and Bupravaquone, Azithromycin, Quinuronium sulfate and Amicarbalidesio-thionate are most widely used. Supportive therapy includes multivitamins, fluid therapy, antipyretics intravenous fluids, and blood transfusions are used if necessary. In addition, there are certain ethnoveterinary (homeopathic) ingredients which having anti-babesial activity. As the resistance against these drugs is developing every day. New more specific long-lasting drugs should be developed for the treatment of Babesiosis. Further studies should be done on disease genome of different species of for vaccine development like malarial parasites.
PubMed: 37441378
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17172 -
Parasites & Vectors Jun 2023Babesia spp. are intraerythrocytic apicomplexans that digest and utilize red blood cells in a similar way to intraerythrocytic Plasmodium spp., but unlike the latter,...
Babesia spp. are intraerythrocytic apicomplexans that digest and utilize red blood cells in a similar way to intraerythrocytic Plasmodium spp., but unlike the latter, are not sensitive to artemisinin. A comparison of Babesia and Plasmodium genomes revealed that Babesia genomes, which are smaller than those of Plasmodium, lack numerous genes, and especially haem synthesis-related genes, that are found in the latter. Single-cell sequencing analysis showed that the different treatment groups of Babesia microti with expressed pentose phosphate pathway-related, DNA replication-related, antioxidation-related, glycolysis-related, and glutathione-related genes were not as sensitive to artemether as Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL. In particular, pentose phosphate pathway-related, DNA replication-related, and glutathione-related genes, which were actively expressed in P. yoelii 17XNL, were not actively expressed in B. microti. Supplying iron in vivo can promote the reproduction of B. microti. These results suggest that Babesia spp. lack a similar mechanism to that of malaria parasites through which the haem or iron in hemoglobin is utilized, and that this likely leads to their insensitivity to artemisinin.
Topics: Humans; Babesia; Artemisinins; Plasmodium yoelii; Iron; Heme; Babesiosis
PubMed: 37291657
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05783-4 -
Transfusion-transmitted spp.: a changing landscape of epidemiology, regulation, and risk mitigation.Journal of Clinical Microbiology Oct 2023spp. are tick-borne parasites with a global distribution and diversity of vertebrate hosts. Over the next several decades, climate change is expected to impact humans,... (Review)
Review
spp. are tick-borne parasites with a global distribution and diversity of vertebrate hosts. Over the next several decades, climate change is expected to impact humans, vectors, and vertebrate hosts and change the epidemiology of . Although humans are dead-end hosts for tick-transmitted , human-to-human transmission of spp. from transfusion of red blood cells and whole blood-derived platelet concentrates has been reported. In most patients, transfusion-transmitted (TTB) results in a moderate-to-severe illness. Currently, in North America, most cases of TTB have been described in the United States. TTB cases outside North America are rare, but case numbers may change over time with increased recognition of babesiosis and as the epidemiology of is impacted by climate change. Therefore, TTB is a concern of microbiologists working in blood operator settings, as well as in clinical settings where transfusion occurs. Microbiologists play an important role in deploying blood donor screening assays in endemic regions, identifying changing risks for in non-endemic areas, investigating recipients of blood products for TTB, and drafting TTB policies and guidelines. In this review, we provide an overview of the clinical presentation and epidemiology of TTB. We identify approaches and technologies to reduce the risk of collecting blood products from -infected donors and describe how investigations of TTB are undertaken. We also describe how microbiologists in non-endemic regions can assess for changing risks of TTB and decide when to focus on laboratory-test-based approaches or pathogen reduction to reduce TTB risk.
Topics: Humans; United States; Babesia; Babesia microti; Blood Transfusion; Babesiosis; Blood Donors
PubMed: 37750699
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01268-22 -
Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology 2023Evaluation of febrile illness in a returning traveler is challenging as it requires careful history taking and knowledge of local epidemiology of endemic and epidemic...
Evaluation of febrile illness in a returning traveler is challenging as it requires careful history taking and knowledge of local epidemiology of endemic and epidemic diseases. Incorporating information of host characteristics for susceptibility of infections is also important for endemic mycosis apart from history of tick bites and animal exposures. Laboratory tests directed by clinical and laboratory parameters will help to reach final diagnosis.
Topics: Animals; Travel; Fever
PubMed: 37356832
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmmb.2023.100368