Abstract
Babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa that are primarily transmitted by hard-bodied (ixodid) ticks and rarely through blood transfusion, perinatally, and organ transplantation. More than 100 Babesia species infect a wide spectrum of wild and domestic animals worldwide and six have been identified as human pathogens. Babesia microti is the predominant species that infects humans, is found throughout the world, and causes endemic disease in the United States and China. Babesia venatorum and Babesia crassa-like agent also cause endemic disease in China. Babesia divergens is the predominant species in Europe where fulminant cases have been reported sporadically. The number of B. microti infections has been increasing globally in recent decades. In the United States, more than 2000 cases are reported each year, although the actual number is thought to be much higher. In this review of the epidemiology of human babesiosis, we discuss epidemiologic tools used to monitor disease location and frequency; demographics and modes of transmission; the location of human babesiosis; the causative Babesia species in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia; the primary clinical characteristics associated with each of these infections; and the increasing global health burden of this disease.
Highlights
Human babesiosis is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoal parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa and is transmitted by hard bodied ticks
Six primary species have far been confirmed as human pathogens: Babesia crassa-like agent, Babesia divergens, Babesia duncani, Babesia microti, Babesia motasi, and Babesia venatorum
In this review we focus on the epidemiology of human babesiosis
Summary
Human babesiosis is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoal parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa and is transmitted by hard bodied ticks It is rarely transmitted through red blood cell transfusion, transplacentally from mother to fetus, and through organ transplantation. Six primary species have far been confirmed as human pathogens: Babesia crassa-like agent, Babesia divergens, Babesia duncani, Babesia microti, Babesia motasi, and Babesia venatorum. Several other genetically related pathogen substrains have been reported to infect humans, including Babesia divergens-like and Babesia microti-like pathogens (Table 1). We will discuss epidemiologic tools used to monitor disease location and frequency, modes of transmission and demographics, the location of human babesiosis, the causative Babesia species in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, and the primary clinical characteristics associated with each of these infections
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