Babesiosis
- scientific name
- genus Babesia
- cause
- microscopic parasites in the genus Babesia
- spread
- transmitted by the bite of an infected deer tick, Ixodes scapularis
- incubation
- one to 8 weeks, sometimes longer
- symptoms
- fever, fatigue and hemolytic anemia
- communicability
- Babesiosis can only be spread from ticks to other animals, not from human to human.
- prevention
- precautions to prevent tick bites should be taken, such as wearing light–colored clothing (for easy tick discovery) and tucking pants into socks and shirt into pants
- treatment
- Standardized treatments for babesiosis have not been developed. However, some drugs used in the treatment of malaria have been found to be effective in some patients with babesiosis.