Babesia symptoms can be deadly: a family’s story
The number of Babesia cases appears to be rising and as a recent article in the Washington Post reports, the tick-borne infection can be deadly when symptoms go unrecognized.
Babesia symptoms can be wide-ranging and difficult to recognize by clinicians and a missed or delayed diagnosis can be deadly.
In hopes of raising awareness, one family shares their story of a Babesia diagnosis that came just a little too late.
Jeff, a 51-year-old husband and father, was hospitalized with symptoms of jaundice, agitation and inability to urinate. It took 3 days before he was diagnosed with Babesia. But his symptoms had been present for at least one month — unrecognized, as the infection progressed.
Tiny tick leads to deadly infection
As his wife tells writer Abby Schwartz from the Washington Post,¹ Jeff frequently hiked outdoors near their home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. About a month prior to being admitted into the hospital, he had removed a tick, “no bigger than a poppy seed.”
In hindsight, “he may have had Babesia for a month,” Schwartz writes.
Diagnosis comes too late
For several weeks, Jeff reportedly had Babesia symptoms including fevers and night sweats. But clinicians presumed he had a kidney infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics. He improved briefly.
Then, he took a turn for the worst. “Jeff was weaker, sweating, unable to sleep,” his wife explains. “His breathing was labored. The whites of his eyes had yellowed, and his bilirubin was climbing, a sign that red blood cells were breaking down at an unusual rate or of liver trouble.”
READ MORE: Babesia cases among the elderly are rising, may require longer treatment
He was moved to the ICU and placed in a medically-induced coma and put on a ventilator. Doctors noted that his symptoms resembled malaria, but still did not suspect a tick-borne infection.
“His team periodically woke him, and he would squeeze his wife’s hand.”
On Tuesday, an infectious disease doctor shared some positive news. “We think we have a diagnosis.”
They suspected that Jeff had Babesiosis, a potentially deadly infection caused by parasites Babesia microti, which is typically transmitted through a tick bite.
He was prescribed an antibiotic (azithromycin) and antiparasitic (Atovaquone) medication for 7 to 10 days.
On Thursday, he died — just 2 days after starting treatment.
“If Jeff had been diagnosed early, when he first complained of night fevers, it might have been different for him,” writes Schwartz.
Since Jeff’s death, his wife and family have worked to raise awareness about Babesia.
Babesia signs and symptoms
Most people infected with Babesia do not show symptoms or have mild to moderate flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, nausea, and loss of appetite, which can appear days or even months later. (There is no telltale rash as with Lyme disease.)
Individuals most at-risk include the elderly and people with immunocompromised conditions. In fact, the death rate among those with an impaired immune system is as high as 20%, explains Peter Krause, a senior research scientist at Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Medicine.
Although it is usually transmitted through a tick bite, Babesia can be acquired through a tainted blood transfusion.
Babesia cases are reported mostly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest but the disease is “increasing in frequency and geographic range,” warns Krause.
Babesia: Not recognized by all doctors
“It has to step up to the level of an infectious-disease specialist being brought in before it might get diagnosed, whereas in an area where it’s more prevalent, some of the front-line people, the emergency room doctors or urgent care doctors, might be a little more attuned to it,” says Sorana Segal-Maurer, an infectious-disease specialist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital.¹
Editor’s notes:
I disagree with three statements made by doctors interviewed for the story:
- I have Babesia patients who do not improve with only 7 to 10 days of treatment.
- I have Babesia patients who are sick who do not meet the risk criteria described above.
- I have Babesia patients who removed the tick in less than 24 hours and still became ill.
Related Articles:
Babesia infections transmitted through blood supply
Podcast: Babesia infection after Lyme disease treatment
Podcast: Tick bite with Lyme disease, babesia and anaplasmosis
References:
- Babesiosis, a dangerous tick-borne infection that attacks red blood cells, appears to be a growing problem. Abby Schwartz, Washington Post, 5/29/21.
Sydney Hampton
03/29/2024 (1:03 pm)
Dr Cameron,
Thank you for your insight in the Lyme and co-infections.
I have printed your articles for doctors treating my symptoms. As of today non have heeded your words. I’m 60 now. It’s a roller coaster ride. I don’t get it when you give information they need and still no action.
Dr. Daniel Cameron
03/29/2024 (4:24 pm)
We have to keep trying
Tessa McCall
07/23/2023 (11:29 am)
I had babesiosis in live the south. Interesting that the article says that cases the following “Babesia cases are reported mostly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest but the disease is “increasing in frequency and geographic range,” warns Krause”. I find this regarding dogs and cases of Babesiosis. “Babesiosis is caused by infection with Babesia, a protozoal parasite. It is found across the world in domestic dogs and cats. In North America, most cases of babesiosis in dogs occur in the Southern United States. The disease is considered uncommon in healthy, spleen-intact adult dogs, but is considered an emerging infection in dogs.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_dg_babesiosis
PetMD
Dr. Daniel Cameron
07/24/2023 (7:52 pm)
thanks for sharing. We can learn from man’s best friend.
Josie
08/31/2022 (9:33 pm)
My brother was diagnosed with Babesia last year and it came back this year putting him in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks. He is still in treatment for it.
Maureen
12/11/2022 (10:24 pm)
Was this from the original bite or was be bitten again? I read somewhere you can have flare ups as i it ever goes away.
Jill
07/18/2021 (10:25 pm)
I’ve had or was diagnosed with FMS since 1993. Lived in Oregon but visited Maine often. Developed profuse sweats just miserable but thought it was the FMS or side effect to a med or menopause but it stared when I was 35. Then in 99 moved to Maine. My symptoms got worse. At one point I felt I had the flu for 3 months. Nothing was addressed. In 2012 moved to California where my profuse sweating outbreaks continued. Body aches and sweating just made me feel like a freak. Then had three months of vertigo which prompted the doctor to test me. My Babesiosis count or level was 160. Very high. He put me on all the Lyme antibiotics and if I wasn’t feeling better at the next monthly appointment, he switched my med or dose. I had really bad herxing going on till one day I had just flown home from a trip and could hardly walk off the plane. Was swarmed with airport police, paramedics and more paramedics came from the city. By the time I got to the hospital I was hanging on to life by a thread. But even the ER doctors couldn’t figure it out even when we told them my Babesiosis history and the flood of antibiotics I had just been on. I was in the hospital for three nights with IVs and I don’t even know or remember what they gave me. They said I was just really sick and septic but could not explain why and continued to ignore my history’ of diagnosis and recent meds. Somehow my body pulled out of whatever and I went home. Since my previous symptoms didn’t really clear up, my doctor basically said he didn’t know what else to do but said I could go get hyperbaric chamber treatments in the city (at thousands of dollars I don’t have and insurance won’t cover) so my life just is an existence at 63 at this point. Do my best with supplements and diet. My doctor moved so asked my new doctor if I could get my blood retested to see where it stands, if the meds worked but just have residual damage to my health or is the Babesiosis still active and he just said that since I had antibiotic treatment that it “should” be gone and no need to retest. It’s very frustrating.
That said, my heart goes out to Jeff’s family and their loss (introductory story of this link.)
My daughter and grandkids still live in Maine and find ticks on them and their dogs and it scares me all the time!