FIRST IMMUNOLOGICAL RECORD OF BABESIA MICROTI HOBET SULINEAGE ANTIBODIES AMONG HUMAN BLOOD DONORS IN QENA GOVERNORATE, UPPER EGYPT, EGYPT

Abstract

The zoonotic babesiosis is a growing public health concern. This parasite mainly occurs in U.S.(B. microti) and Europe (B. divergens & B. venatorum). Emerging cases have been increasinglyreported worldwide especially in immunosuppressed individuals. Other than tick bite, possiblemodes of infection include perinatal transmission and blood transfusion. To date, in Egypt, threecases of human babesiosis were reported. This study evaluated Babesia spp. infection in man inQena City. Forty three persons were examined. All sera were subjected to serological examinationusing either indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFA) or western blot (WB) analysis or bothtests. Using IFA 13/43 patients were positive for Babesia at different titers. The five out of the13 positive IFAT samples were positive by using WB test (11.6%). This could be the first studyin Qena that screened Egyptian patients using well-defined Babesia strain for human babesiosis.Blood transfusion is a possible babesiosis mode of infection to man and thus patients in need ofblood transfusion may undergo immunosuppressive status so they may develop babesiosis, soscreening of blood donors for human babesiosis is needed to exclude transfusion inducedbabesiosis.