Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

"babesiosis"

Case Report

Imported human babesiosis in the Republic of Korea, 2019: two case reports: Hyun Jung Kim, Min Jae Kim, Hyun-Il Shin, Jung-Won Ju, Hee-Il Lee; Parasites Hosts Dis 2023;61(1):72-77.
Published online February 22, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/PHD.22168

Abstract
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Human babesiosis is a tick-borne disease induced by the genus Babesia and has been significantly reported in the Republic of Korea. This report shows the cases of 2 patients with human babesiosis who traveled to the USA in 2019. The 2 patients experienced fever and had travel histories to babesiosis-endemic regions. The diagnoses of both cases were verified by the identification of Babesia-infected red blood cells on blood smears. One patient was found to be infected with Babesia microti using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 18S rRNA, which discovered the phylogenetic link to the B. microti strain endemic in the USA. The 2 patients recovered from fever with subsequent hemoparasite clearance. Babesiosis could be diagnosed in anyone with histories of travel to babesiosis-endemic countries and tick bites. Furthermore, Babesia-specific PCR is required for determining geno-and phenotypic characteristics.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Imported parasitic diseases in the Republic of Korea: status and issues
Jong-Yil Chai
Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2025; 68(1): 52. CrossRef
Nationwide investigation of eukaryotic pathogens in ticks from cattle and sheep in Kyrgyzstan using metabarcoding
Singeun Oh, Nathalie Amvongo-Adjia, Hyun Jung Kim, Jun Ho Choi, Xavier Chavarria, Myung-hee Yi, Arwa Shatta, Bekbolsun Aknazarov, Ju Yeong Kim, Jung-Won Ju, Bekir Oguz
PLOS One.2025; 20(8): e0327953. CrossRef
Detection of US and Kobe‐type Babesia microti in ticks collected from small mammals of the Republic of Korea
Tae Yun Kim, Seong Yoon Kim, Jiye Seo, Hee IL Lee, Wook‐Gyo Lee, Hyunwoo Kim
Entomological Research.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Human Babesia odocoilei and Bartonella spp. co-infections in the Americas
Ricardo G. Maggi, Ana Cláudia Calchi, Charlotte O. Moore, Emily Kingston, Edward B. Breitschwerdt
Parasites & Vectors.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Development of Multiplex Assays for the Identification of Zoonotic Babesia Species
Ana Cláudia Calchi, Charlotte O. Moore, Lillianne Bartone, Emily Kingston, Marcos Rogério André, Edward B. Breitschwerdt, Ricardo G. Maggi
Pathogens.2024; 13(12): 1094. CrossRef

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Original Article

Babeisa duncani infection alters gut microbiota profile in hamsters: Shangdi Zhang, Jinming Wang, Xiaoyun Li, Yanbo Wang, Yueli Nian, Chongge You, Dekui Zhang, Guiquan Guan; Parasites Hosts Dis 2023;61(1):42-52.
Published online February 22, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/PHD.22142

The genus Babesia includes parasites that can induce human and animal babesiosis, which are common in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The gut microbiota has not been examined in hamsters infected by Babesia duncani. Red blood cells infected with B. duncani were injected into hamsters through intraperitoneal route. To evaluate the changes in gut microbiota, DNAs were extracted from small intestinal contents, acquired from hamsters during disease development. Then, the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria was sequenced using the Illumina sequencing platform. Gut microbiota alternation and composition were assessed according to the sequencing data, which were clustered with >97.0% sequence similarity to create amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were made up of the major components of the gut microbiota in all samples. The abundance of Bacteroidetes elevated after B. duncani infection than the B. duncani-free group, while Firmicutes and Desulfobacterota declined. Alpha diversity analysis demonstrated that the shown ASVs were substantially decreased in the highest parasitemia group than B. duncani-free and lower parasitemia groups. Potential biomarkers were discovered by Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis, which demonstrated that several bacterial families (including Muribaculaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, Oscillospiraceae, Helicobacteraceae, Clostridia UGG014, Desulfovibrionaceae, and Lachnospiraceae) were potential biomarkers in B. duncani-infected hamsters. This research demonstrated that B. duncani infectious can modify the gut microbiota of hamsters.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Nationwide investigation of eukaryotic pathogens in ticks from cattle and sheep in Kyrgyzstan using metabarcoding
Singeun Oh, Nathalie Amvongo-Adjia, Hyun Jung Kim, Jun Ho Choi, Xavier Chavarria, Myung-hee Yi, Arwa Shatta, Bekbolsun Aknazarov, Ju Yeong Kim, Jung-Won Ju, Bekir Oguz
PLOS One.2025; 20(8): e0327953. CrossRef
Eimeria infections of plateau pika altered the patterns of temporal alterations in gut bacterial communities
Maoping Li, Suqin Wang, Liang Zhong, Petr Heděnec, Zhaoxian Tan, Rong Wang, Xinyang Chen, Yan Zhang, Bingmin Tang, Huakun Zhou, Jiapeng Qu
Frontiers in Microbiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Atractylenolide-I Alleviates Hyperglycemia-Induced Heart Developmental Malformations through Direct and Indirect Modulation of the STAT3 Pathway
Mengwei Wang, Tong-hua Zhang, Yunjin Li, Xiaofeng Chen, Qiongyin Zhang, Ying Zheng, Denglu Long, Xin Cheng, An Hong, Xuesong Yang, Guang Wang
Phytomedicine.2024; 129: 155698. CrossRef
Qi Huang Fang improves intestinal barrier function and intestinal microbes in septic mice through NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated cellular pyroptosis
Tingting Shu, Jun Zhang, Ruiying Hu, Fang Zhou, Hanyong Li, Jing Liu, Yanbo Fan, Xucheng Li, Peiwu Ding
Transplant Immunology.2024; 85: 102072. CrossRef

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Case Reports

Two Imported Cases of Babesiosis with Complication or Co-Infection with Lyme Disease in Republic of Korea: Hea Yoon Kwon, Jae Hyoung Im, Yun-Kyu Park, Areum Durey, Jin-Soo Lee, Ji Hyeon Baek; Korean J Parasitol 2018;56(6):609-613.
Published online December 31, 2018; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2018.56.6.609

Abstract
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Babesiosis, caused by Babesia microti and B. divergens, is transmitted by Ixodid ticks. Symptoms of babesiosis vary from a mild flu-like illness to acute, severe, and sometimes fatal and fulminant disease. In Korea, 7 imported babesiosis cases and 1 endemic case have been reported. We report 2 cases of severe babesiosis initially mistaken as malaria. The first patient was complicated by shock and splenic infarction, the other co-infected with Lyme disease. As the population traveling abroad increases every year, physicians should be aware of babesiosis which mimics malaria, co-infection with other diseases, and its complications.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Imported parasitic diseases in the Republic of Korea: status and issues
Jong-Yil Chai
Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2025; 68(1): 52. CrossRef
Splenic Infarction in Babesiosis: A Case Series
Kaetlyn Arant, Ty Agaisse, Athanasios Vassilopoulos, Sassine Ghanem, Michael Santos
Journal of Brown Hospital Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Detection of US and Kobe‐type Babesia microti in ticks collected from small mammals of the Republic of Korea
Tae Yun Kim, Seong Yoon Kim, Jiye Seo, Hee IL Lee, Wook‐Gyo Lee, Hyunwoo Kim
Entomological Research.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Current Status of Trypanosoma grosi and Babesia microti in Small Mammals in the Republic of Korea
Hyun Jung Kim, BoGyeong Han, Hee-Il Lee, Jung-Won Ju, Hyun-Il Shin
Animals.2024; 14(7): 989. CrossRef
Imported human babesiosis in the Republic of Korea, 2019: two case reports
Hyun Jung Kim, Min Jae Kim, Hyun-Il Shin, Jung-Won Ju, Hee-Il Lee
Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2023; 61(1): 72. CrossRef
iSeq 100 for metagenomic pathogen screening in ticks
Ju Yeong Kim, Myung-hee Yi, Alghurabi Areej Sabri Mahdi, Tai-Soon Yong
Parasites & Vectors.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Molecular evidence of zoonotic Babesia species, other than B. microti, in ixodid ticks collected from small mammals in the Republic of Korea
Tae Yun Kim, Seong Yoon Kim, Tae‐Kyu Kim, Hee IL Lee, Shin‐Hyeong Cho, Wook‐Gyo Lee, Hyunwoo Kim
Veterinary Medicine and Science.2021; 7(6): 2427. CrossRef
Interactions between Babesia microti merozoites and rat kidney cells in a short-term in vitro culture and animal model
Marta Albertyńska, Hubert Okła, Krzysztof Jasik, Danuta Urbańska-Jasik, Przemysław Pol
Scientific Reports.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
A Review of Zoonotic Babesiosis as an Emerging Public Health Threat in Asia
Sabir Hussain, Abrar Hussain, Muhammad Umair Aziz, Baolin Song, Jehan Zeb, David George, Jun Li, Olivier Sparagano
Pathogens.2021; 11(1): 23. CrossRef
Splenic Complications ofBabesia microtiInfection in Humans: A Systematic Review
Igor Dumic, Cristian Madrid, Libardo Rueda Prada, Charles W. Nordstrom, Pahnwat Tonya Taweesedt, Poornima Ramanan
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology.2020; 2020: 1. CrossRef
A Practical Approach to the Diagnosis of Lyme Borreliosis: From Clinical Heterogeneity to Laboratory Methods
Giusto Trevisan, Serena Bonin, Maurizio Ruscio
Frontiers in Medicine.2020;[Epub] CrossRef

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An Imported Case of Severe Falciparum Malaria with Prolonged Hemolytic Anemia Clinically Mimicking a Coinfection with Babesiosis: Young Ju Na, Jong-Yil Chai, Bong-Kwang Jung, Hyun Jung Lee, Ji Young Song, Ji Hye Je, Ji Hye Seo, Sung Hun Park, Ji Seon Choi, Min Ja Kim; Korean J Parasitol 2014;52(6):667-672.
Published online December 23, 2014; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2014.52.6.667

Abstract
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While imported falciparum malaria has been increasingly reported in recent years in Korea, clinicians have difficulties in making a clinical diagnosis as well as in having accessibility to effective anti-malarial agents. Here we describe an unusual case of imported falciparum malaria with severe hemolytic anemia lasting over 2 weeks, clinically mimicking a coinfection with babesiosis. A 48-year old Korean man was diagnosed with severe falciparum malaria in France after traveling to the Republic of Benin, West Africa. He received a 1-day course of intravenous artesunate and a 7-day course of Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil) with supportive hemodialysis. Coming back to Korea 5 days after discharge, he was readmitted due to recurrent fever, and further treated with Malarone for 3 days. Both the peripheral blood smears and PCR test were positive for Plasmodium falciparum. However, he had prolonged severe hemolytic anemia (Hb 5.6 g/dl). Therefore, 10 days after the hospitalization, Babesia was considered to be potentially coinfected. A 7-day course of Malarone and azithromycin was empirically started. He became afebrile within 3 days of this babesiosis treatment, and hemolytic anemia profiles began to improve at the completion of the treatment. He has remained stable since his discharge. Unexpectedly, the PCR assays failed to detect DNA of Babesia spp. from blood. In addition, during the retrospective review of the case, the artesunate-induced delayed hemolytic anemia was considered as an alternative cause of the unexplained hemolytic anemia.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Imported parasitic diseases in the Republic of Korea: status and issues
Jong-Yil Chai
Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2025; 68(1): 52. CrossRef
Current Status of Trypanosoma grosi and Babesia microti in Small Mammals in the Republic of Korea
Hyun Jung Kim, BoGyeong Han, Hee-Il Lee, Jung-Won Ju, Hyun-Il Shin
Animals.2024; 14(7): 989. CrossRef
Imported human babesiosis in the Republic of Korea, 2019: two case reports
Hyun Jung Kim, Min Jae Kim, Hyun-Il Shin, Jung-Won Ju, Hee-Il Lee
Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2023; 61(1): 72. CrossRef
Babesia microti alleviates disease manifestations caused by Plasmodium berghei ANKA in murine co-infection model of complicated malaria
Iqra Zafar, Tomoyo Taniguchi, Hanadi B. Baghdadi, Daisuke Kondoh, Mohamed Abdo Rizk, Eloiza May Galon, Shengwei Ji, Shimaa Abd El-Salam El-Sayed, Thom Do, Hang Li, Moaz M. Amer, Ma Zhuowei, Ma Yihong, Jinlin Zhou, Noboru Inoue, Xuenan Xuan
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
A conserved protein of Babesia microti elicits partial protection against Babesia and Plasmodium infection
Yao Wang, Qianqian Zhang, Wanruo Zhang, Junhu Chen, Jianfeng Dai, Xia Zhou
Parasites & Vectors.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Babesia microti Confers Macrophage-Based Cross-Protective Immunity Against Murine Malaria
Artemis Efstratiou, Eloiza May S. Galon, Guanbo Wang, Kousuke Umeda, Daisuke Kondoh, Mohamad Alaa Terkawi, Aiko Kume, Mingming Liu, Aaron Edmond Ringo, Huanping Guo, Yang Gao, Seung-Hun Lee, Jixu Li, Paul Franck Adjou Moumouni, Yoshifumi Nishikawa, Hirosh
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Two Imported Cases of Babesiosis with Complication or Co-Infection with Lyme Disease in Republic of Korea
Hea Yoon Kwon, Jae Hyoung Im, Yun-Kyu Park, Areum Durey, Jin-Soo Lee, Ji Hyeon Baek
The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2018; 56(6): 609. CrossRef
Delayed Diagnosis of Falciparum Malaria with Acute Kidney Injury
Iee Ho Choi, Pyoung Han Hwang, Sam Im Choi, Dae-Yeol Lee, Min Sun Kim
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2016; 31(9): 1499. CrossRef
Malaria endemicity and co-infection with tissue-dwelling parasites in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review
Nyamongo W. Onkoba, Moses J. Chimbari, Samson Mukaratirwa
Infectious Diseases of Poverty.2015;[Epub] CrossRef
Artesunate

Reactions Weekly.2015; 1574(1): 36. CrossRef

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107 Download
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Original Article

Identification of newly isolated Babesia parasites from cattle in Korea by using the Bo-RBC-SCID mice: Shin-Hyeong Cho, Tong-Soo Kim, Hyeong-Woo Lee, Masayoshi Tsuji, Chiaki Ishihara, Jong-Taek Kim, Sung-Hwan Wee, Chung-Gil Lee; Korean J Parasitol 2002;40(1):33-40.
Published online March 31, 2002; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2002.40.1.33

Abstract
PDF

Attempts were made to isolate and identify Korean bovine Babesia parasite. Blood samples were collected from Holstein cows in Korea, and Babesia parasites were propagated in SCID mice with circulating bovine red blood cells for isolation. The isolate was then antigenically and genotypically compared with several Japanese isolates. The Korean parasite was found to be nearly identical to the Oshima strain isolated from Japanese cattle, which was recently designated as Babesia ovata oshimensis n. var. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the most probable tick species that transmited the parasite.

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First Case of Human Babesiosis in Korea: Detection and Characterization of a Novel Type of Babesia sp. (KO1) Similar to Ovine Babesia
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