Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Region Jönköping County, Jönköping, Sweden.
Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2020 Jul;11(4):101455. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101455. Epub 2020 Apr 24.
The risk of contracting babesiosis after a tick bite in Sweden and on the Åland Islands, Finland, is unknown. We investigated clinical and serological outcomes in people bitten by Ixodes ricinus ticks positive for Babesia species. Ticks, blood and questionnaires were obtained from study participants in Sweden and on the Åland Islands. Sixty-five of 2098 (3.1 %) ticks were positive by real-time PCR. Three Babesia species were detected, Babesia microti (n = 33), B. venatorum (n = 27) and B. capreoli (n = 5), the latter species not known to cause human infection. Half (46 %) of the Babesia PCR-positive ticks also contained Borrelia spp. Fifty-three participants bitten by a Babesia PCR-positive tick and a control group bitten by a Babesia PCR-negative tick were tested for B. microti IgG antibodies by IFA. The overall seroprevalence was 4.4 %, but there was no significant difference between the groups. None of the participants seroconverted and no participant with a Babesia PCR-positive tick sought medical care or reported symptoms suggestive of babesiosis. Given the prevalence of Babesia in I. ricinus ticks in southern Sweden and on the Åland Islands, babesiosis should be considered a possible diagnosis in symptomatic residents who seek medical care following tick exposure.
在瑞典和芬兰的奥兰群岛，被蜱虫叮咬后感染巴贝斯虫病的风险尚不清楚。我们研究了伊蚊叮咬阳性的人类临床和血清学结果。从瑞典和奥兰群岛的研究参与者中获得了蜱虫、血液和问卷。通过实时 PCR 检测到 2098 只蜱虫中有 65 只是阳性。检测到三种巴贝斯虫，分别为微小巴贝斯虫（n = 33）、B. venatorum（n = 27）和 B. capreoli（n = 5），后者未知是否会引起人类感染。半数（46%）的巴贝斯虫 PCR 阳性蜱虫还含有伯氏疏螺旋体。对 53 名被巴贝斯虫 PCR 阳性蜱虫叮咬的参与者和一组被巴贝斯虫 PCR 阴性蜱虫叮咬的对照组进行 IFA 检测微小巴贝斯虫 IgG 抗体。总体血清阳性率为 4.4%，但两组之间无显著差异。没有参与者出现血清转换，也没有任何被巴贝斯虫 PCR 阳性蜱虫叮咬的参与者寻求医疗护理或报告有提示巴贝斯虫病的症状。鉴于在瑞典南部和奥兰群岛的伊蚊中存在巴贝斯虫的流行，对于有症状的居民，在接触蜱虫后寻求医疗护理时，应考虑巴贝斯虫病作为可能的诊断。
