Online first
Current issue
Archive
Special Issues
About the Journal
Publication Ethics
Anti-Plagiarism system
Instructions for Authors
Instructions for Reviewers
Editorial Board
Editorial Office
Contact
Reviewers
All Reviewers
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
General Data Protection Regulation (RODO)
CASE REPORT
First report of two asymptomatic cases of human infection with Babesia microti (Franca, 1910) in Poland
1
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
2
Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
3
Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University in Białystok, Poland
Corresponding author
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2015;22(1):51-54
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Human infection by Babesia microti has been recognized as an emerging zoonosis with important public health implications worldwide. In Europe the reported cases of human babesiosis have been attributed mostly to B. divergens infection, with only sporadic cases of the disease caused by B. microti or B. venatorum. This study, based on molecular methods (PCR, R-T PCR, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis), reveals for the first time in Poland, asymptomatic infection with . microti in immunocompetent healthy individuals working in forest ecosystems. Of the 58 professional foresters examined, two (3.4%) were identified as B. microti-positive by specific PCR. The results of this study also provide strong evidence that in eastern Poland, where tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are endemic, there is a potential risk of acquiring human babesiosis due to zoonotic B. microti parasites commonly found in rodents and I. ricinus ticks. The potential public health importance of this finding is discussed.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The research forms part of Project No. NN 404 795240,
supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher
Education in Warsaw.
REFERENCES (29)
1.
Kjemtrup AM, Conrad PA. Human babesiosis: an emerging tick-borne disease. Int J Parasitol. 2000; 30: 1323–1337.
2.
Vannier E, Gewurz BE, Krause PJ. Human babesiosis. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2008; 22: 469–488.
3.
Škrabalo Z, Deanovic Z. Piroplasmosis in man: report on a case. Documenta de Medicina Geographica et Tropica 1957; 9: 11–16.
4.
Vannier E, Krause PJ. Current concepts: human babesiosis. New Eng J Med. 2012; 366: 2397–2407.
5.
Tsao JL. Reviewing molecular adaptation of Lyme borreliosis spirochetes in the context of reproductive fitness in natural transmission cycles. Vet Res. 2009; 40: 1–42.
6.
Gray JS, Zintl A, Hildebrandt A, Hunfeld KP, Weiss L. Zoonotic babesiosis: overview of the disease and novel aspects of pathogen identity. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2010; 1: 3–10.
7.
Leiby DA. Transfusion-transmitted Babesia spp.: bull’s-eye on Babesia microti. Clin Microbial Rev. 2011; 24: 14–28.
8.
Joseph JT, Purtill K, Wong SJ, Munoz J, Teal A, Madison-Antenucci S, Horowitz HW, Aguero-Rosenfeld ME, Moore JM, Abramowsky C, Wormser GP. Vertical transmission of Babesia microti, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2012; 18: 1318–1321.
9.
Krause PJ, Gewurz BE, Hill D, Marty FM, Vannier E, Foppa IM, Furman RR, Neuhaus E, Skowron G, Gupta S, McCalla C, Pesanti EL, Young M, Heiman D, Hsue G, Gelfand JA, Wormser GP, Dickason J, Bia FJ, Hartman B, Telford SR 3rd, Christianson D, Dardick K, Coleman M, Girotto JE, Spielman A. Persistent and relapsing babesiosis in immunocompromised patients. Clin Infect Dis. 2008; 46: 370–376.
10.
Herwaldt BL, Linden JV, Bosserman E, Young C, Olkowska D, Wilson M. Transfusion-associated babesiosis in the United States: a description of cases. Ann Int Med. 2011; 155: 509–519.
11.
Franca C. Sur la classification des piroplasmes et description de deux de ces parasites. Arq R Inst Bact Camara Pestana. 1910; 3: 11–18.
12.
Cornillot E, Hadj-Kaddour K, Dassouli A, Noel B, Ranwez V, Vacherie B, Augagneur Y, Brès V, Duclos A, Randazzo S, Carcy B, Debierre-Grockiego F, Delbecq S, Moubri-Menage K, Shams-Eldin H, Usmani-Brown S, Bringaud F, Wincker P, Vivarès ChP, Schwarz RT, Schetters TP, Krause PJ, Gorenflot A, Berry V, Barbe V, Mamoun ChB. Sequencing of the smallest Apicomplexan genome from the human pathogen Babesia microti. Nucleic Acids Res. 2012; 40: 9102–9114.
13.
Lack JB, Reichard MV, Van Den Bussche RA. Phylogeny and evolution of the Piroplasmida as inferred from 18S rRNA sequences. Int J Parasitol. 2012; 42: 353–363.
14.
Bonnet S, Jouglin M, L‘Hostis M, Chauvin A. Babesia sp. EU1 from roe deer and transmission within Ixodes ricinus. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13: 1208–1210.
15.
Tamura K, Dudley J, Nei M, Kumar S. MEGA4: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) software version 4.0. Mol Biol Evol. 2007; 24: 1596–1599.
16.
Uhnoo I, Cars O, Christensson D, Nystroem-Rosander C. First documented case of human babesiosis in Sweden. Scand J Infect Dis. 1992; 24: 541–547.
17.
Centeno-Lima S, do Rosario V, Parreira R, Maia AJ, Freudenthal AM, Nijhof AM, Jongejan F. A fatal case of human babesiosis in Portugal: molecular and phylogenetic analysis. Trop Med Int Health. 2003; 8: 760–764.
18.
Martinot M, Zadeh MM, Hansmann Y, Grawey I, Christmann D, Aguillon S, Jouglin, M, Chauvin A, De Briel D. Babesiosis in immunocompetent patients, Europe. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011; 17: 114–116.
19.
Meer-Scherrer L, Adelson M, Mordechai E, Lottaz B, Tilton R. Babesia microti infection in Europe. Curr Microbiol. 2004; 48: 435–437.
20.
Hildebrandt A, Hunfeld KP, Baier M, Krumbholz A, Sachse S, Lorenzen T, Kiehntopf M, Fricke HJ, Straube E. First confirmed autochthonous case of human Babesia microti infection in Europe. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2007; 26: 595–601.
21.
Ramharter M, Walochnik J, Lagler H, Winkler S, Wernsdorfer WH, Stoiser B, Graninger W. Clinical and molecular characterization of a near fatal case of human babesiosis in Austria. J Travel Med. 2010; 17: 416–418.
22.
Gray JS. Identity of the causal agents of human babesiosis in Europe. Int J Med Microbiol. 2006; 40: 131–136.
23.
Herwaldt BL, Cacciò S, Gherlinzoni F, Aspöck H, Slemenda SB, Piccaluga PP, Martinelli G, Edelhofer R, Hollenstein U, Poletti G, Pampiglione S, Karin Lõschenberger K, Tura S, Pieniazek NJ. Molecular characterization of a non-Babesia divergens organism causing zoonotic babesiosis in Europe. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003; 9: 942–948.
24.
Häselbarth K, Tenter AM, Brade V, Krieger G, Hunfeld KP. First case of human babesiosis in Germany-clinical presentation and molecular characterisation of the pathogen. Int J Med Microbiol. 2007; 297: 197–204.
25.
Welc-Falęciak R, Hildebrandt A, Siński E. Co-infection with Borrelia species and other tick-borne pathogens in humans: two cases from Poland. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2010; 17: 309–313.
26.
Criado-Fornelio A, Martinez-Marcos A, Buling-Sarana A, Barba-Carretero JC. Molecular studies on Babesia, Theileria and Hepatozoon in southern Europe Part II. Phylogenetic analysis and evolutionary history. Vet Parasitol. 2003; 114: 173–194.
27.
Siński E, Bajer A, Welc R, Pawełczyk A, Ogrzewalska M, Behnke JM. Babesia microti: prevalence in wild rodents and Ixodes ricinus ticks from the Mazury Lakes District of north-eastern Poland. Int J Med Microbiol. 2006; 296 (S1):137–143.
28.
Welc-Falęciak R, Bajer A, Behnke JM, Siński E. Effect of host diversity and the community composition of hard ticks (Ixodidae) on Babesia microti infection. Int J Med Microbiol. 2008; 298 (S1): 235–242.
29.
Welc-Falęciak R, Bajer A, Paziewska-Harris A, Baumann-Popczyk A, Siński E. Diversity of Babesia in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Poland. Adv Med Sci. 2012; 57: 364–369.
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 1898-2263 |
| ISSN: | 1232-1966 |
Improvement of visual identification of the journal - task financed under the agreement No. 618/P-DUN/2019 by the Minister of Science and Higher Education allocated to the activities of disseminating science.
Generation of the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) - task financed under the agreement No. 618/P-DUN/2019 by the Minister of Science and Higher
© 2006-2024 Journal hosting platform by Bentus
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
