Faculty Mentor
Azad Gucwa
Major/Area of Research
Clinical Laboratory Science
Description
Babesiosis is a tickborne disease caused by Babesia microti, an intracellular parasite of red blood cells. Presently, B. microti is the most common and deadly pathogen transmitted by blood transfusion. B. microti infects humans via Ixodes scapularis ticks, the same vector carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Co-infection with these two diseases increases the severity of symptoms, posing a major therapeutic challenge. We aimed to determine the co-infection rate of B. microti in individuals who tested positive for Lyme disease. Sera obtained from 154 individuals in New York State were collected and tested by immunofluorescence assay. Of the 59 patients who tested positive for IgM antibodies directed against B. burgdorferi, 59.6% also tested positive for antibodies against B. microti, suggesting recent co-infection of both TBDs. 55.9% of individuals previously exposed to Lyme disease with IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi were also positive for antibodies against B. microti. Both of these groups were significantly increased (p > 0.05) compared to the Lyme disease-free control group, which had 26.7% testing positive for IgM antibodies against B. microti. This suggests co-infection of B. microti and Lyme disease is more prevalent than the 10-32% co-infection rates that have previously been reported. Additionally, our findings agree with reports that B.burgdorferi may help promote the prevalence of B. microti. Our findings suggest the need for an extensive study investigating co-infection of B. microti and Lyme disease and support the need for an FDA-approved screening test to help prevent transfusion-transmitted babesiosis.
Included in
Seroprevalence of Babesia microti in Patients with Lyme Disease
Babesiosis is a tickborne disease caused by Babesia microti, an intracellular parasite of red blood cells. Presently, B. microti is the most common and deadly pathogen transmitted by blood transfusion. B. microti infects humans via Ixodes scapularis ticks, the same vector carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Co-infection with these two diseases increases the severity of symptoms, posing a major therapeutic challenge. We aimed to determine the co-infection rate of B. microti in individuals who tested positive for Lyme disease. Sera obtained from 154 individuals in New York State were collected and tested by immunofluorescence assay. Of the 59 patients who tested positive for IgM antibodies directed against B. burgdorferi, 59.6% also tested positive for antibodies against B. microti, suggesting recent co-infection of both TBDs. 55.9% of individuals previously exposed to Lyme disease with IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi were also positive for antibodies against B. microti. Both of these groups were significantly increased (p > 0.05) compared to the Lyme disease-free control group, which had 26.7% testing positive for IgM antibodies against B. microti. This suggests co-infection of B. microti and Lyme disease is more prevalent than the 10-32% co-infection rates that have previously been reported. Additionally, our findings agree with reports that B.burgdorferi may help promote the prevalence of B. microti. Our findings suggest the need for an extensive study investigating co-infection of B. microti and Lyme disease and support the need for an FDA-approved screening test to help prevent transfusion-transmitted babesiosis.