Babesiosis News and Research

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Babesiosis is an emerging, zoonotic, tick-borne disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia, which are transmitted by hard-bodied (Ixodes) ticks. Several different species are known to cause disease in humans, most notably Babesia microti, Babesia divergens and Babesia duncani.

Natural compounds could combat drug-resistant malaria and babesiosis

As parasites become increasingly resistant to existing drugs, researchers at the University of California, Riverside are working to develop a new generation of treatments for two serious infectious diseases: malaria and babesiosis.

31 Jul 2026

Red blood cell exchange transfusion may provide benefits for patients with severe babesiosis

A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham and Yale School of Public Health reveals that red blood cell exchange transfusion (ET) may provide critical benefits for patients hospitalized with severe babesiosis.

30 Mar 2026

Study maps distribution of disease-carrying ticks across Illinois

Scientists analyzed the distribution of three potentially harmful tick species in Illinois, identifying regions of the state with higher numbers of these ticks and, therefore, at greater risk of infection with multiple tick-borne diseases.

22 Sep 2025

Targeting RAP proteins for next-generation malaria treatments

A University of California, Riverside-led team has made an advance in the basic understanding of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, that could make novel, highly targeted anti-malarial therapies possible.

1 Jul 2025

Case study: Bartonella, Babesia pathogens can be a cofactor in complex neurological illnesses

In a new case study, researchers from North Carolina State University found Bartonella henselae, Babesia odocoilei and Babesia divergens-like MO-1 DNA in brain tissue samples from a young child with seizures and suspected Rasmussen's encephalitis.

22 Mar 2025

FDA ensures blood safety through five layers of safeguards

Every day, hospitals throughout the U.S. transfuse blood or blood components, such as platelets, to save the lives of people who are in car crashes, and victims of fires and other emergencies.

20 Feb 2025

Research paves the way for genetic control of disease-spreading ticks

Research collaboration by the Texas A&M Department of Entomology and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, creates potential for genetic tools to control disease-spreading ticks.

27 Nov 2024

Study highlights rising rates of tick-borne parasitic disease in the United States

Rates of babesiosis, a tick-borne parasitic disease, increased an average of 9% per year in the United States between 2015 and 2022 and four in 10 patients were found to be co-infected with another tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine.

8 Oct 2024

Texas A&M leads effort to combat cattle fever ticks

Since the early 1900s, eradicating cattle fever ticks has challenged surveillance and quarantine programs designed to protect the U.S. and Texas cattle industry.

16 Aug 2024

Evaluation and treatment of early Lyme disease

Every year in the United States, an estimated 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease. The estimate comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

23 Jul 2024

Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative receives $7M in grants to advance research to next level

Researchers at the Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative recently received grants totaling more than $7 million to build on an already impressive array of discoveries that Tufts' teams have made to combat tick-borne diseases.

19 Sep 2023

NIAID funds research to better understand Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded five projects for research to better understand Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), which is a collection of symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, and difficulty thinking or "brain fog," which linger following standard treatment for Lyme disease.

21 Jul 2023

Most kids recover from Lyme disease within six months of completing antibiotic treatment

A majority of parents of children diagnosed with Lyme disease reported that their kids recovered within six months of completing antibiotic treatment, according to a new joint study from Children's National Research Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, published in Pediatric Research.

21 Apr 2023

Genomic study reveals Babesia duncani's pathogenicity and virulence

'Tis the season for hiking now that spring has arrived and temperatures are on the upswing. But with hikes come insect bites and on the increase in North America is babesiosis, a malaria-like disease spread especially between May and October by a tick.

13 Apr 2023

How do cattle impact human vector-borne disease risk?

Scientists from the United States have conducted a systematic review to understand whether cattle increase the risk of contracting vector-borne diseases by humans. The review is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

12 Feb 2023

WVU biomedical engineer receives $1.2 million to improve early detection of tick-borne infections

A team led by a West Virginia University biomedical engineer is working to ramp up and reimagine how medical professionals diagnose tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease.

7 Oct 2022

Nanotech imaging device shows potential to make disease diagnosis with smartphones

A nanotech imaging device, tiny enough to fit on a smartphone camera lens, has the potential to make the diagnosis of certain diseases accessible and affordable for people in rural and remote regions, say Australian scientists who developed it.

12 May 2022

World Malaria Day 2022: How the knockdown of P. falciparum RAP01 and RAP21 proteins could lead to novel antimalarial therapeutics

As part of World Malaria Day 2022, we interview Karine Le Roch PH.D., about her latest research into how novel antimalarial therapeutic strategies could be on the horizon, after identifying two proteins that are critical to the survival of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.

25 Apr 2022

Texas A&M AgriLife scientists receive grant to fight pesticide-resistant cattle fever ticks

Two projects by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists aim to protect the U.S. cattle industry from the emerging threat of pesticide-resistant cattle fever ticks.

21 Apr 2022

Study demonstrates the potency of herbal medicines against Bartonella henselae

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the U.S., today announced the publication of new data showing that herbal medicines have potent activity in test tubes compared to pharmaceuticals commonly-prescribed for the treatment of Bartonella henselae, a bacterium believed to be carried by ticks and the cause of cat scratch fever.

5 Aug 2021