What is babesiosis?
Babesiosis is a rare
and life-threatening infection of red blood cells that is usually transmitted
by ticks. It is caused by tiny parasites called babesia. The type that most
commonly affects humans is called Babesia microti. They enter the bloodstream
when an infected deer tick bites you.
Other ways babesiosis
is spread include:
- Transfusion of contaminated blood
- A pregnant and infected mother transmits the virus to her baby in the womb or during childbirth.
Symptoms
Signs of babesiosis
appear 1 to 8 weeks after contact with the parasite that causes the disease.
Sometimes you won't notice any symptoms. If you do, they may include:
- Body aches
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Sweating
You also can get a
condition called hemolytic anemia in which your red blood cells die faster than
your body can make new ones. Symptoms of this can include:
- Confusion
- Dark-colored urine
- Dizziness
- Heart murmur
- Rapid heart rate
- Swelling of your spleen and liver
- Very pale skin
- Weakness
- Yellow skin, eyes, and mouth (jaundice)
Symptoms may worsen
if you are older, no longer have a spleen, have a medical condition, or are
taking medications that weaken your immune system.
If you notice any of
these symptoms, see your doctor and be sure to let him know if you have
traveled recently. Ticks can be the size of a poppy seed, so you may not know
if a tick has bitten you.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will
order blood tests to check for signs of infection. This includes looking for
babesia in the blood under a microscope. She may also want to do other blood
tests to rule out conditions with similar symptoms, such as anaplasmosis or
Lyme disease, which is also caused by ticks. Lyme disease can coexist with
babesiosis.
Treatment and prevention
If you don't have
symptoms, you probably won't need treatment. If you do, your doctor may
prescribe a medicine called atovaquone, which kills germs using the antibiotic
azithromycin. Another combination he might recommend is quinine with the
antibiotic clindamycin.
The mites that cause
babesiosis usually need to stay on the body for 36 to 48 hours to cause an
infection. Here are some ways to prevent this:
- Stay away from overgrown grasses and leaf piles, where ticks are likely to be.
- Wear long pants tucked into your socks and a long-sleeve shirt when you're near where ticks thrive.
- Wear light-colored clothes so you can easily spot ticks.
- Before going indoors, check your clothing and pets for ticks.
- Once inside, check your entire body for ticks using a full-length or hand-held mirror.
- Remove any ticks with pointed tweezers.