Babesiosis

Babesiosis – General Information

• Decreased number of red blood cells
• Decreased number of platelets

The chances to be infected with the protozoan parasite are higher in the summer time, as the summer is the period when the ticks attack mostly.

Babesiosis – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Babesiosis) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Babesiosis or from any other medical disorder.
In the case of this disease, there is an incubation period of the parasite from one to six weeks, until the symptoms develop. Here is a list of the most common symptoms of Babesiosis that can appear and that can last from a few days to several months:

• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Joint aches
• Weight loss
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Chills
• Shaking chills
• Rash resembling erythma migrans
• Night sweats
• Jaundice
• Enlarged liver
• Enlarged spleen
• Symptoms of anemia
• Headaches
• Weakness
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• A general ill feeling
• Organ failure

The complications of this medical condition can be life threatening, especially in the elderly people and in people with Lyme disease, and they include:

• Altered mental states
• Very low blood pressure
• Respiratory distress syndrome
• Kidney insufficiency
• Irritability
• Speaking problems
• Focusing problems
• Death

It is also true that many people may present no symptoms at all, for a long period of time such as several years, before developing some of the symptoms listed above. 

Babesiosis – Treatment

Usually the Babesiosis resolves by itself without any specific treatment, but in the cases in which the symptoms get worse, the patients with Babesiosis are recommended and prescribed two-drug regimen treatment such as:

• Quinine and clindamycin – but this treatment is usually not tolerated by the patients
• Atovaquone and azithromycin

In the cases of Babesiosis which are life threatening the doctor will recommend a transfusion, in order to remove the infected red blood cells and replace them with healthy ones. Here is a list of other medicines that can be prescribed in the patients that suffer from Babesiosis:

• Atovaquone oral suspension -  it is available only with a medical prescription
• Atovaquone tablets – it is available only with the medical prescription, and should not be taken by pregnant women or women who breastfeed, children, older adults, persons who are allergic, and persons with other medical conditions such as stomach or intestinal disorders.
• Cleocin HCl – this is a drug that fights the bacteria in the organism. This drug should not be taken is association with erythromycin, and neither if the patient is allergic to clindamycin or lincomycin, or by persons who have kidney disease, liver disease, colitis or Crohan’s disease, asthma, history of eczema.
• Cleocin phosphate – should not be used by nursing mothers, pregnant women, and it should not be used in combination with erythromycin.
• Clindamycin - these medicines can cause watery diarrhea or diarrhea with blood in it, which can be associated with another type of infection in the body.
• Mepron – is an antiprotozoal agent; it should not be used in association with Rifampin, Sulfamethoxazole or Zidovudine.

Although there has not been discovered a vaccine against it, the Babesiosis infection can be prevented as following:

• While you are outside, you should wear sleeves and long pants and a hat
• People should use insecticides in order to kill the ticks
• Repellents which contain a compound named DEET can be used on the affected areas of the body, except the face. Repellents should not be applied directly in small children; it should be firstly put in the parent’s hands and then applied on the children’s body.
• After the outdoor activities such as gardening, for example, people should check their cloths in order to see if there are any ticks, and also wash the treated part of the skin with a lot of soap and water.
• If there are any ticks on the skin, remove them immediately with a tweezers. The tick should be grabbed as much as possible by its mouth and not by its body.
• Avoid the vegetation contact as much as possible, if this is not possible people should wear covered shoes
• In the outdoor activities, such as gardening as we said before, people should spray their skin with DEET and their cloths with a solution that contains Permethrin and should tie their hair, especially if it is long.
• People should also check the fur of their pets for ticks.