Babesia microti Infection in Man

Abstract

ALTHOUGH infections caused by members of the protozoan genus Babesia have been recognized in animals since the 19th century, the first human case of babesiosis was not described until 1957. 1 A total of 12 human infections have been reported in the literature to date 2 ; three of these have been fatal. We report here a case of Babesia microti infection acquired on Long Island, NY. Report of a Case A 57-year-old man was admitted to the hospital in July 1976 with a three-week history of chills, fever, easy fatigability, anorexia, and a 4-kg weight loss. Chills, fever, and malaise occurred with a 48-hour periodicity. Prior to his illness, the patient had been in excellent health. A trip to Mexico in 1970 was his only visit to an endemic malarial country. He traveled to Florida three months prior to admission and made weekly visits to his home on Montauk, Long