Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania
<i>Babesia microti</i> is a protozoan that infects red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia and flu-like symptoms in humans. Understanding co-infections is crucial for the better diagnosis, treatment, and management of tick-borne diseases. This study examined the prevalence of <i>...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| author | Lovepreet S. Nijjar Sarah Schwartz Destiny Sample Koon Koon Samantha M. Marin Mollie E. Jimenez Trevor Williams Nicole Chinnici |
| author_facet | Lovepreet S. Nijjar Sarah Schwartz Destiny Sample Koon Koon Samantha M. Marin Mollie E. Jimenez Trevor Williams Nicole Chinnici |
| author_sort | Lovepreet S. Nijjar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Babesia microti</i> is a protozoan that infects red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia and flu-like symptoms in humans. Understanding co-infections is crucial for the better diagnosis, treatment, and management of tick-borne diseases. This study examined the prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> co-infection with other prevalent tick-borne pathogens in Pennsylvania. The dataset acquired from the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute included passive surveillance data from <i>Ixodes</i> spp. from 2021 to 2023. Submitted ticks were screened for tick-borne pathogens using species-specific TaqMan qPCR. Of the 793 <i>B. microti</i>-positive ticks pulled for analysis, 65.0% were co-infected with other pathogens (n = 516). Notably, 60.9% of the <i>B. microti</i>-positive ticks were co-infected with <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>, 10.2% with <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> Ap-ha, and 7.5% carried a triple co-infection with <i>B. burgdorferi</i> and <i>A. phagocytophilum</i> Ap-ha. The rates of <i>B. microti</i> infection and its co-infections are on the rise, with patterns observed in Pennsylvania and other regions of the USA. While other studies have collected both nymphal and adult ticks to screen for co-infections in Pennsylvania, our study stood out as a unique contribution to the field by focusing exclusively on <i>B. microti</i>-positive ticks. The continued monitoring of tick-borne co-infections is vital to prevent misdiagnosis and ensure effective treatment regimens. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7baefcb194f54ff8b8160416786b2e4c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-7baefcb194f54ff8b8160416786b2e4c2025-08-20T02:04:59ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072024-11-011211222010.3390/microorganisms12112220Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in PennsylvaniaLovepreet S. Nijjar0Sarah Schwartz1Destiny Sample Koon Koon2Samantha M. Marin3Mollie E. Jimenez4Trevor Williams5Nicole Chinnici6Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USADr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USADr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USADr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USADr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USADr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USADr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, USA<i>Babesia microti</i> is a protozoan that infects red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia and flu-like symptoms in humans. Understanding co-infections is crucial for the better diagnosis, treatment, and management of tick-borne diseases. This study examined the prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> co-infection with other prevalent tick-borne pathogens in Pennsylvania. The dataset acquired from the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute included passive surveillance data from <i>Ixodes</i> spp. from 2021 to 2023. Submitted ticks were screened for tick-borne pathogens using species-specific TaqMan qPCR. Of the 793 <i>B. microti</i>-positive ticks pulled for analysis, 65.0% were co-infected with other pathogens (n = 516). Notably, 60.9% of the <i>B. microti</i>-positive ticks were co-infected with <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>, 10.2% with <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> Ap-ha, and 7.5% carried a triple co-infection with <i>B. burgdorferi</i> and <i>A. phagocytophilum</i> Ap-ha. The rates of <i>B. microti</i> infection and its co-infections are on the rise, with patterns observed in Pennsylvania and other regions of the USA. While other studies have collected both nymphal and adult ticks to screen for co-infections in Pennsylvania, our study stood out as a unique contribution to the field by focusing exclusively on <i>B. microti</i>-positive ticks. The continued monitoring of tick-borne co-infections is vital to prevent misdiagnosis and ensure effective treatment regimens.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/11/2220<i>Babesia microti</i><i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i><i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i>co-infectiontick-borne pathogens<i>Ixodes</i> ticks |
| spellingShingle | Lovepreet S. Nijjar Sarah Schwartz Destiny Sample Koon Koon Samantha M. Marin Mollie E. Jimenez Trevor Williams Nicole Chinnici Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania Microorganisms <i>Babesia microti</i> <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> co-infection tick-borne pathogens <i>Ixodes</i> ticks |
| title | Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania |
| title_full | Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania |
| title_short | Prevalence of <i>Babesia microti</i> Co-Infection with Other Tick-Borne Pathogens in Pennsylvania |
| title_sort | prevalence of i babesia microti i co infection with other tick borne pathogens in pennsylvania |
| topic | <i>Babesia microti</i> <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</i> co-infection tick-borne pathogens <i>Ixodes</i> ticks |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/11/2220 |
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