Transfusion-associated transmission of babesiosis in New York State

Babesiosis can be life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals. Although the disease is usually transmitted by tick bite, more than 20 cases have been reported of infection transmitted by transfusion of blood or blood components obtained from apparently healthy donors from endemic areas in the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transfusion (Philadelphia, Pa.) Pa.), 2000-03, Vol.40 (3), p.285-289
Main Authors: LINDEN, I. V, WONG, S. J, CHU, F. K, SCHMIDT, G. B, BIANCO, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Animals
Babesiosis - blood
Babesiosis - epidemiology
Babesiosis - transmission
Biological and medical sciences
Blood Donors
Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis
Humans
Immunoglobulin M - blood
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Male
Medical sciences
New York - epidemiology
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Transfusion Reaction
Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Babesiosis can be life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals. Although the disease is usually transmitted by tick bite, more than 20 cases have been reported of infection transmitted by transfusion of blood or blood components obtained from apparently healthy donors from endemic areas in the United States. This report describes several recent cases of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis in New York State. Transfusion-associated incidents of babesiosis infection were identified and investigated. Seroprevalence of babesiosis in healthy blood donors in a highly endemic area was ascertained. In three incidents, babesiosis was diagnosed in five of eight patients given infected blood: two premature infants, an elderly patient with gastrointestinal bleeding, and two patients with thalassemia. Seroprevalence in blood donors on Shelter Island (Suffolk County, eastern Long Island), a highly endemic area, was 4.3 percent in May 1998. Infected donors lived in endemic areas and were asymptomatic with no history of tick bite. Blood collected in January 1997 from one donor was infectious. Those transfusion recipients who were infected were neonatal, elderly, or chronically transfused patients. Babesiosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of febrile illness in immunocompromised recipients of blood transfusion, particularly in the Northeastern United States.
ISSN:0041-1132
1537-2995
DOI:10.1046/j.1537-2995.2000.40030285.x