Babesia and red cell invasion

Abstract

Purpose of review: Babesiosis is a zoonosis, a disease communicable from animals to humans and an important blood-borne human parasitic infection. Despite its public health impact, its study has largely been neglected. The objective of this review is to present up-to-date information on both parasite and red blood cell molecules that function at the host-parasite interface to facilitate successful invasion.

Recent findings: In the last few years, a number of parasite proteins have been identified from genome projects and from functional red cell-binding assays. However, their cognate receptors as well as the precise function these ligands perform in the cascade of invasive events remain umknown. There also appears to be a significant overlap in the structural and functional aspects of the invasion machinery between malaria and Babesia.

Summary: Recognizing that Babesia is an expanding blood safety threat, there should be rapid progress in the development of viable interventions to detect and halt transmission of these pathogens via blood transfusions. By developing a detailed mechanistic understanding of invasion, we can then exploit the participating molecules to procure much needed reagents for diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment and prevention of human babesiosis.