Human
babesiosis—an unrecorded reality.
Absence
of formal registry undermines its detection, diagnosis and treatment,
suggesting need for immediate mandatory reporting
Virginia
T. Sherr, M.D.
Abstract
reprinted with permission from Med Hypotheses. 2004;63(4):609-15.
Human babesiosis,
caused by parasitic protozoa of erythrocytes, has escaped usual
associates—lower mammals. Thriving in tick guts, it has
spread inland from the coasts of America, adopting mankind as
a host. Babesia spp. threaten life quality of unsuspecting
humans in quickly expanding territories worldwide, including
the state of Pennsylvania, USA. The causative spirochetes of
Lyme disease often similarly co-exist in ticks. Singly or together
they may, by causing persistent and chronic infections, duplicate
any symptom in the medical literature—including depression
and hypochondriasis. Physicians practicing throughout Pennsylvania
have identified patients with symptomatic babesiosis, but without
governmental surveillance or health registries that require
doctors to consider and report babesiosis, these cases have
not prompted epidemiological concern. Misunderstandings such
as, “Isn't that an obscure tropical disease?” are
usual responses when doctors are asked about babesiosis, inadvertently
trivializing patients and disease. Mandatory reporting of babesiosis
should now be considered a medical necessity.
Copyright
2004 Elsevier Ltd
For the
complete article, click on the link below:
Private
Practice of Psychiatry,
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vtsherr@comcast.net
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