Human Babesiosis, Bolivia, 2013

Abstract

To investigate human babesiosis in the Bolivian Chaco, in 2013 we tested blood samples from 271 healthy persons living in 2 rural communities in this region. Microscopy and PCR indicated that 3.3% of persons were positive for Babesia microti parasites (US lineage); seroprevalence was 45.7%. Appropriate screening should mitigate the risk for transfusion-associated babesiosis.

Keywords

• Babesia microti
• humans
• Bolivia
• ticks
• vector-borne infections
• parasites