Human Babesiosis Caused by Babesia odocoilei: A Confirmed Zoonosis

Abstract

Babesia odocoilei has been gaining attention as a novel agent of tick-borne disease. Researchers allege that the American dog tick is a vector of B. odocoilei, but supportive evidence for this contention is absent. Likewise, B. odocoilei was allegedly found in two European patients, but supportive evidence for this postulate is lacking and it appears that the patients were infected with a close member of a sister group, Babesia venatorum. In contrast, a study by Scott et al. in two Canadian patients provides molecular evidence for the first-ever confirmed cases of human babesiosis caused by B. odocoilei anywhere in the world