BABESIA

• Babesia spp.


  causative agent of Texas Cattle Fever or Red Water Fever and Babesiosis
• Life cycle

  Sexual phase

  • occurs within vector (tick)
• Life cycle

  Asexual phase

  • occurs within host (mice, deer, cattle, dogs, human)
• Morphological forms of Babesia spp.

  Trophozoites

  Merozoites
• MEROZOITES

  Resembles four trophozoites attached by their respective chromatin dots in the shape of a Maltese cross
• Laboratory Diagnosis

  1. Giesma stained blood films
  2. Serologic test
  3. PCR
• 1-4 weeks incubation period
• Babesiosis is considered as self-limiting infection
• Worst for older individuals, splenectomized and immunocompromised patient
• Most encountered species

  Babesia microti

  Babesia divergens
• Babesia microti

  Ixodes dammini (vector);

  Peromyscus leucopus (reservoir host)
• Babesia divergens

  Ixodes ricinus (vector);

  Cattle and rabbits (reservoir host)

  more severe infections; fatal if untreated
• common in late summer to early fall
• Treatment

  clindamycin + quinine or atovaquone + azithromycin