Babesia

Babesia (also called Nuttallia) is a genus of protozoan apicomplexan piroplasms which was discovered by the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeș, that infect the blood and cause a parasitic, hemolytic disease known as babesiosis. Over 100 species of Babesia have been identified, but only a few have been documented to be pathogenic in humans.

In the United States, B. microti is the most common strain associated with humans. Other species infect cattle, livestock, and occasionally domestic animals. People who contract babesiosis suffer from malaria-like symptoms. As a result, malaria is a common misdiagnosis for the disease.

Classification

Babesia is a protozoan parasite of which B. microti and B. divergens are the two species most frequently found to infect humans. Infections from other species of Babesia have been documented in humans, but are not regularly seen. Babesiosis is also known as piroplasmosis. Due to historical misclassifications, this protozoan was labeled with many names that are no longer used. Common names of the disease include Texas cattle fever, redwater fever, tick fever, and Nantucket fever.