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Babesiosis and blood transfusion: flying under the radar

D A Leiby1

  • 1Department of Transmissible Diseases, Jerome H. Holland Laboratory for the Biomedical Sciences, American Red Cross, Rockville, MD 20855, USA. leibyd@usa.redcross.org

Vox Sanguinis
|March 2, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Babesia species pose a growing threat to blood safety in the USA, with transfusion-transmitted infections rising. Limited prevention options necessitate recognition of this Babesia risk to develop interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Transfusion Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • Infectious agents pose ongoing risks to blood transfusion safety.
  • Established pathogens, like Babesia species, often remain under-recognized threats.
  • Babesiosis has been a recognized human disease in the USA for nearly 40 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight Babesia species as a significant and expanding threat to blood safety.
  • To underscore the rise in transfusion-transmitted Babesia infections in the USA.
  • To emphasize the need for interventions to prevent Babesia transmission via blood transfusion.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on Babesia species and transfusion medicine.
  • Analysis of trends in transfusion-transmitted Babesia infections.
  • Assessment of current prevention strategies for Babesia transmission.

Main Results:

  • Babesia species, particularly Babesia microti, are responsible for a notable increase in transfusion-transmitted infections.
  • Human babesiosis cases are rising, linked to Babesia microti, Babesia divergens, and other Babesia-like agents.
  • Current methods for preventing Babesia transmission through blood transfusion are limited.

Conclusions:

  • Babesia species represent a persistent and growing risk to blood safety.
  • Increased awareness of Babesia as a transfusion threat is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
  • Further research and development of interventions are needed to mitigate Babesia transmission via blood products.

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