Autochthonous Human Babesiosis Caused by Babesia venatorum, the Netherlands

Abstract

Severe babesiosis with 9.8% parasitemia was diagnosed in a patient in the Netherlands who had previously undergone splenectomy. We confirmed Babesia venatorum using PCR and sequencing. B. venatorum was also the most prevalent species in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected around the patient’s home. Our findings warrant awareness for severe babesiosis in similar patients.

Keywords

• vector-borne infections
• Babesia
• ticks
• Babesia venatorum
• Ixodes ricinus
• Netherlands