Entomologic and Serologic Evidence of Zoonotic Transmission of Babesia microti, Eastern Switzerland

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Foppa, Ivo M. ; Krause, Peter J. ; Spielman, Andrew ; Goethert, Heidi ; Gern, Lise ; Brand, Brigit ; Telford, Sam R.
• Description:
  We evaluated human risk for infection with Babesia microti at a site in eastern Switzerland where several B. microti-infected nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks had been found. DNA from pooled nymphal ticks amplified by polymerase chain reaction was highly homologous to published B. microti sequences. More ticks carried babesial infection in the lower portion of the rectangular 0.7-ha grid than in the upper (11% vs. 0.8%). In addition, we measured seroprevalence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies against B. microti antigen in nearby residents. Serum from 1.5% of the 396 human residents of the region reacted to B. microti antigen (>1:64), as determined by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IgG). These observations constitute the first report demonstrating B. microti in a human-biting vector, associated with evidence of human exposure to this agent in a European site.
• Subjects:
  Animals Antibodies, Protozoan Antigens, Protozoan Arthropod Vectors Babesia Babesiosis DNA, Protozoan Humans Ixodes Molecular Sequence Data Phylogeny Polymerase Chain Reaction Risk Factors Serologic Tests Species Specificity

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• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 8(7):722-726.
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Europe ; Switzerland
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  7
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8974961f8eec6dd237efe29e0cec79199455396bb447fcb772a390eb2fe504ae
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/13872/cdc_13872_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 248.25 KB ]