Infection with Babesia microti in humans with non-specific symptoms in North East Poland

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical course and effectiveness of diagnostics tools for Babesia spp. infection in patients bitten by ticks.

Materials and methods: Five hundred and forty-eight patients hospitalised or seen in outpatients department because of various symptoms after a tick bite were included in the study. PCR, nucleotide sequencing of Babesia 18S rRNA gene fragment, blood smears and serological tests for Babesia spp., TBEV, A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi were performed in all patients. Six patients infected with Babesia were included in the final analysis. They had PCR, Babesia 18S rRNA gene fragment nucleotide sequencing, blood smears and serological tests for Babesia spp., TBEV, A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi performed twice.

Results: Tick-borne infection with Babesia microti in six immunocompetent patients with non-specific symptoms was confirmed for the first time in Poland. No severe course of the disease was seen. No piroplasm forms were noticed within erythrocytes on blood smear. Three patients developed a serological response.

Conclusions: Immunocompetent patients may be unaware of infection with Babesia microti after a tick bite. It must be included in the differential diagnosis after the tick bite. In patients with low parasitaemia PCR and serology seem useful when blood smear is negative. Self-elimination of Babesia spp. is possible, especially in cases with low parasitaemia.

Keywords:

• Babesia microti
• babesiosis
• tick-borne diseases
• humans
• co-infection

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by a grant from the Medical University of Bialystok, Poland No 153-45777. Justyna Dunaj is a recipient of the scholarship ‘Studies, research, commercialisation—a support programme for doctoral students’, Human Capital Operational Programme of the European Union.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.