Vertical transmission of Babesia microti, United States

Julie T Joseph; Kerry Purtill; Susan J Wong; Jose Munoz; Allen Teal; Susan Madison-Antenucci; Harold W Horowitz; Maria E Aguero-Rosenfeld; Julie M Moore; Carlos Abramowsky; Gary P Wormser

doi:10.3201/eid1808.110988

Vertical transmission of Babesia microti, United States

Emerg Infect Dis. 2012 Aug;18(8):1318-21. doi: 10.3201/eid1808.110988.

Authors

Julie T Joseph¹, Kerry Purtill, Susan J Wong, Jose Munoz, Allen Teal, Susan Madison-Antenucci, Harold W Horowitz, Maria E Aguero-Rosenfeld, Julie M Moore, Carlos Abramowsky, Gary P Wormser

Affiliation

¹ New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA. [email protected]

Abstract

Babesiosis is usually acquired from a tick bite or through a blood transfusion. We report a case of babesiosis in an infant for whom vertical transmission was suggested by evidence of Babesia spp. antibodies in the heel-stick blood sample and confirmed by detection of Babesia spp. DNA in placenta tissue.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
Babesia microti* / genetics
Babesia microti* / immunology
Babesia microti* / isolation & purification
Babesiosis / diagnosis
Babesiosis / immunology
Babesiosis / parasitology
Babesiosis / transmission*
DNA, Protozoan / analysis
DNA, Protozoan / isolation & purification
Female
Humans
Infant
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical*
Placenta / parasitology*
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / diagnosis
Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / parasitology*
United States

Substances

Antibodies, Protozoan
DNA, Protozoan