Babesiosis and what you need to know about the 2023 tick season

Tick season is underway in much of the U.S. This season, another tick-borne disease is on the list of concerns. That’s because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found a significant increase in reported cases of babesiosis (bah-beez-E-oh-sis) infection in eastern parts of the U.S.

“Babesiosis is another tick-borne disease that we hear about, in addition to Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and others,” says Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. “Babesiosis is a parasitic disease transmitted by ticks. It’s caused primarily by Babesia microti in the U.S., and that’s transmitted by the same tick that transmits Lyme disease. The tick is called Ixodes scapularis, and it’s commonly known as the black-legged tick, sometimes called the deer tick.”

Dr. Pritt says most of the cases of babesiosis are reported in the Northeast and the upper Midwestern states of the U.S.

Symptoms

Symptoms of babesiosis infection may range from people not knowing they are infected to feeling like they have mild flu to life-threatening. Symptoms, if any, can start within a week after a bite from an infected tick.

Flu-like symptoms may include:

— Fever

— Chills

— Sweats

— Loss of appetite

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