Use of tafenoquine to treat a patient with relapsing babesiosis with clinical and molecular evidence of resistance to azithromycin and atovaquone
Luis A. Marcos,
Annie Leung,
Laura Kirkman,
Gary P. Wormser
Affiliations
Luis A. Marcos
Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, USA; Correspondence to: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Stony Brook University, 101 Nicolls Rd, HSC16-027 J, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
Annie Leung
Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
Laura Kirkman
Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
Gary P. Wormser
Division of Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
Tafenoquine is a highly effective treatment for Babesia microti infections in animal models. An immunocompromised patient infected by a strain of B. microti that was at least partially resistant to both azithromycin and atovaquone was treated with tafenoquine. Systematic clinical studies using tafenoquine for treating other patients with babesiosis should be considered.
