Emerging Infectious Diseases (Aug 2012)

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
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1808.110988
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 8
pp. 1318 – 1321

Abstract

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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.

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