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What is Babesia microti?

H K Goethert1, S R Telford

  • 1Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, 665 Huntington Avenue, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Parasitology
|November 26, 2003
PubMed
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Babesia microti, a common rodent parasite, is actually a complex of diverse species. This finding explains why human babesiosis cases are geographically limited, as not all rodent parasites pose a public health risk.

Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Babesia microti is a known parasite of Holarctic rodents.
  • Human babesiosis cases are primarily reported in specific regions of the United States.
  • The absence of reported cases in enzootic areas of Europe is unexplained.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic diversity of Babesia microti.
  • To clarify the phylogenetic relationships among Babesia isolates.
  • To understand the implications for public health risk assessment.

Main Methods:

  • Collected blood/spleen samples from American and Eurasian animals.
  • Amplified 18S rDNA and beta-tubulin genes.
  • Conducted phylogenetic analysis.

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Main Results:

  • What was identified as B. microti via microscopy represents a diverse species complex.
  • Identified 3 distinct clades within the B. microti complex.
  • Two clades comprised rodent parasites, one zoonotic and one maintained in microtine rodents.

Conclusions:

  • Babesia microti is a species complex, not a single species.
  • Morphological identification alone is insufficient for risk assessment.
  • Not all B. microti-like parasites in animals pose a public health risk.