Babesia microti:This Parasite Bites

Babesia microti is a parasite transmitted to humans by a tick bite. Babesia microti can only be transmitted from human to human by blood transfusion. The primary way to diagnose the parasite is using an immunofluorescence assay and test for specific antibodies in the blood (Johnson et al., 2009). This is a significantly effective way to test for Babesia microti. It is the primary cause of human Babesiosis in the United States with an increase in fear for blood transfusions with B. microti within them. In this study the food and drug administration, have worked to overcome the transfusion-transmitted Babesia microti (Johnson et al., 2009).

This article discussed the best way to diagnose Babesia microti. From these diagnoses they were able to locate the most highly dense areas in the Northeastern United States in 2000 through 2007. Most of the parasite infected ticks were found in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Babesia microti itself is a fairly newly discovered parasite. The first U.S. reported case of Babesia microti was reported in 1969 in Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. B. microti is only transmitted through blood transfusions and can be tested by blood, so data for these results were taken from the American Red Cross (Johnson et al., 2009).

After a positive test result for Babesia microti from blood donors, the American Red Cross collected routine samples of blood  to test for Immunoglobulin (IG) G antibodies. Using the diagnostic technique of the immunofluorescence assay test, the researchers were able to determine whether the positive donors have the Immunoglobulin G antibodies (Johnson et al., 2009). The presence of certain Immunoglobulin antibodies in the blood provides a measure of exposure for Babesia microti. If a donor is positive for the Immunoglobulin M antibodies it is thought of to be a lower risk infection. If a donor is positive for the Immunoglobulin G antibodies the donor is thought to be at a much higher risk of infection because the infection is longer living and can be chronically infected with the parasite (Johnson et al., 2009).

I found this article interesting because I was personally diagnosed with Babesia microti within the past month. As a regular blood donor, I was contacted after my donation, notified that I had the infection and was told I needed to be treated. As in the article, with not much information about the parasite and still further research being conducted, I was asked to participate in their study. I am now scheduled to donate vials of blood ever few weeks to the American Red Cross to test for the presence of certain Immunoglobulin antibodies in my blood. This first verifies if I am still infected with it, and second will verify how infected I am with it. With immunofluorescence assay testing, we have come along was to be able to test for parasites like these.

Literature Cited

Johnson, S.T., Cable, R.G., Tonnetti, L., Spencer, B., Rios, J., Leiby, D.A. 2009. Seroprevalence of Babesia microti in blood donors from Babesia-endemic areas of the northeastern United States:2000 through 2007. Transfusion. 49(12): 2574-2582