CDC report: Babesiosis cases are increasing in the Northeast

A tick-borne disease called babesiosis is becoming more prevalent in the northeastern United States. Although Pennsylvania is one of the worst states in the nation for Lyme disease, awareness of tick bite prevention has not been raised as much for babesiosis. Babesiosis is a parasitic disease that infects red blood cells and is transmitted through tick bites. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that cases of babesiosis have been increasing in northeastern states, including those not previously considered to have endemic babesiosis.

University of Pittsburgh assistant professor Danielle Tufts is currently awaiting test results to determine whether babesiosis is on the rise in Pennsylvania. The same white-footed mice that are primary vectors for Lyme disease also carry the babesia bacterium that causes babesiosis. From 2011-2019, approximately 16,500 cases of babesiosis were reported to the CDC by 37 states, with the most cases reported in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

A 2020 study published in the Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases journal found that the rate of the babesia bacterium was higher than that of the B. burgdorferi spirochete, which causes Lyme disease, in nearly 700 mammals collected in Central Pennsylvania. The study’s authors identified babesiosis as an “emerging pathogen” in Pennsylvania and called for further study.

Many people who contract babesiosis may not show any symptoms, but those who do may experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, or fatigue. Since babesia parasites infect red blood cells, babesiosis can cause hemolytic anemia. According to Tufts, more attention needs to be paid to testing for babesiosis when people seek treatment for a tick bite since it requires different medication than Lyme disease.